


The Retreat

by DragonGirl420



Series: The Retreat [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Bisexual Fiction, F/F, Gay Fiction, Girl On Girl, girl on girl smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-02-24 03:31:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13204950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonGirl420/pseuds/DragonGirl420
Summary: After meeting at a writer’s retreat the year before, four friends plan a week away to reunite at a family cabin deep in the mountains of upstate New York. They all arrive ready to drink, laugh and maybe even find love among themselves. It isn’t until one of the women divulges her lifelong secret, do things start to change and the week away takes on a whole new purpose.





	1. Whiskey and Sex

A nervous breath escaped her lips as she scanned the digital boards to find the correct flight. No matter how many times she double checked the app on her phone, she was terrified of ending up at the wrong terminal.

The anticipation of finally laying eyes on her friend in the flesh was becoming more than she was able to handle and still maintain a cool exterior. Pacing back and forth, Rae nibbled on her nails as the clock on the far wall slowly ticked away at seconds that felt like hours.

Sighing and moving off the edge of the windows, she paced back and forth trying to concentrate on how she ended up in the terminal waiting on a plane she never dreamed would actually land. Pulling her phone from her back pocket, Rae navigated to the text messages and tapped on Liv’s message. A small smile crept onto her face just at the sight of the woman’s name. Lightly pressing on it, all the notes from “L” loaded in succession, with the latest on the bottom.

“Boarding now, cannot wait to see your face <3”

Biting her lower lip, Rae’s small smile morphed into a much bigger one when the announcement came across the terminal’s loudspeaker that Flight 817 from Portland had just landed and would soon be deplaning.

Pocketing her phone, Rae waited impatiently for another half hour before people started emerging from the tunnel. Her hands were nervously turning in the other as she scanned the unfamiliar faces of the passengers. Just as she started to wonder if she was in the wrong place, Liv came out of the tunnel.

Rae waited for a moment and just watched her stride across the terminal lounge, doing her own scan of the crowd. It took only a moment for Liv to spot Rae waiting in the back of the crowd. A smile unfolded on Liv’s face, causing Rae’s heart to pound punishingly against her chest.

Liv didn’t hesitate. She immediately dropped her bags and within a few strides was wrapping her arms around Rae pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Finally!” Liv’s excitement was palpable, but her voice was soft. “I can’t believe I am finally here,” she whispered in disbelief, “and that you are in front of me…” her hand caressed the side of Rae’s face.

Rae covered Liv’s hand with her own, “I’m still in shock, honestly…”

“Where are the others? Have they arrived yet?” Liv asked as she took Rae’s hand and entwined their fingers together as they walked to where she dropped her bags.

“They were driving in. Vaughn insisted on picking up Meg along the way, but they should have arrived at the cabin by the time we get up there.”

Rae picked up one of her bags, and Liv grabbed the other, still not releasing her hand. Two men walking past dressed in suits and carrying briefcases shot the women a dirty look that caught Liv’s eye. She sighed and pulled Rae closer, shaking her head at them and rolling her eyes.

“I fucking hate people sometimes,” she murmured quietly, eliciting a chuckle from her friend.

“Ignore them, apparently two friends, who happen to be women holding hands is too much for their fragile egos to bare,” Rae said loud enough for them to hear.

“Girl, stop,” Liv giggled as she positioned her bag over her shoulder, “C’mon, get me up to this cabin I’ve heard so much about, I cannot wait to see the others!”

 

Several hours later, Rae maneuvered the Jeep down the long dirt road that led to her family’s cabin. The trees lining the path opened up to a large A-framed structure with a wraparound porch that flowed out to a deck overlooking the lake.

The bright blue skies void of clouds were reflecting on the water, giving a mirrored effect that one normally only saw in photographs. Liv took in a deep breath of the mountain air, a smile forming as she exhaled slowly and closed her eyes.

“Oh my God, this place is perfect!” Liv squealed as she took in all that surrounded her. “How do you not spend every waking moment here?” she asked, turning to face Rae.

Rae shrugged, “I would if I could, but normally my mom is here taking the place over. I only got this extended weekend because she’s in Los Angeles for a conference.”

“So, make the best of the time we got, I guess?” Liv chuckled as she pulled her bags from the back seat.

“Pretty much. However,” Rae closed the car door and walked to the other side of the car, “we have five days to spend here, along with Vaughn and Meg and I don’t doubt that we will make every second count.”

The front door of the cabin crashed open as Vaughn and Meg sprinted down the stairs straight at Rae and Liv. Vaughn’s long blond curls trailing behind her as she took long sweeping strides towards them. Meg trailed closely behind, the swagger in her hips more pronounced with the quick pace she kept.

“Ahhh!” Vaughn screamed as she nearly lept on top of Liv, peppering her face and cheeks with sweet, soft kisses. “You’re here! You’re really here!”

Liv threw her head back and laughed, unknowingly causing Rae’s chest to tighten and her stomach to somersault. Meg crashed into Rae, bringing her attention back from Liv and Vaughn. Rae smiled wide, throwing her arms around Meg and swinging her around as if she were a rag doll.

Meg’s long raven locks twirled around as Rae spun her petite frame in a tight embrace. “There’s my bitch!” Meg cackled and started smacking Rae’s back, “Now put me down before I jump your bones. I gotta go see my other girlfriend over there!”

Rae put Meg down and waited for Vaughn and Meg to switch sides. As Vaughn approached, Rae’s smile widened, instantly burying her face in the woman’s shoulder the second she was within arm’s reach.

“My love!” Vaughn teased, leaving a kiss on each cheek, then taking Rae’s face between both of her hands, planting a big kiss on her lips.

“Hey now,” Livvie hollered and giving Vaughn a little wink, “hands off my woman!”

Throwing her head back in laughter, Vaughn shook her head and took Rae’s hand in hers. “Raelyn, my love, ignore that little girl over there,” she said pursing her lips together and wrapping an arm around Rae’s waist, “she’s no idea how deeply our love goes. Come now, let’s go inside and open the whiskey!”

 

Rae rolled over on the bed and closed her eyes at the bright light streaming through the window. The intense sunlight felt like daggers on her face and did nothing to help the throbbing in her head. Sitting up completely and swinging her feet to the floor, Rae rubbed her hands over her face and brushed the mess of curls out of her eyes.

Her feet landed in a pile of clothing, and she flinched at the pain of a belt buckle that stabbed her between the toes. She reached down and grabbed her tank top off the floor, slipping it over her head as a flash of the previous night surfaced. Closing her eyes, she desperately tried to think back to the last thing she could remember.

It started with drinks in the great room of the cabin. Livvie, Vaughn, and Meg were sharing a bottle of whiskey, passing it around for hours on end as they laughed and talked into the night. Being together again after a year apart had been cause for celebration of the grandest kind. Even Rae, who wasn’t always the most enthusiastic drinker, took more than her share of swigs from the bottle, allowing herself to be swept away in the effects of the booze.

They reminisced over the writer’s conference that brought them together the year before and caught up on all that had happened in their lives since. Relationships beginning and ending, new jobs, relocating cities, and even a baby for Meg. The four women shared their stories well into the night, and even with all the excitement of the reunion, Rae couldn’t help but feel slightly melancholy.

Once the conference ended, they’d all agreed to keep in touch one way or another. They were tagging and commenting with each other’s posts daily, sharing their stories and poetry; encouraging and supporting each other with the thing that brought them together in the first place - a passion for words.

Behind the veil of the screen, Raelyn and Livvie had found a different kind of connection. Their conversations were private and ran deeper than the rest of what was shared between them all. Rae’s feelings for Livvie came on fast and unsuspecting. Their banter was fun and silly at times, though normally got down to the soul of the story. Sharing passages and ideas, offering counsel and helping the other reach a place of emotional fortitude to write the words that always seemed to be the most difficult.

Rae felt love for her, as she did for all three of them. Since planning this reunion weekend, however, her interest in Livvie started to change. Sparking feelings in her she thought had been put away forever.

She remembered thinking how beautiful Livvie looked. Her auburn hair swept up off her neck into a clip which helped to accent the soft lines of her jaw. The glow of the fireplace kept catching in her blue eyes, lighting them up as if the flames were burning right in them. When she would throw her head back for a laugh at something said, Rae felt an arousal stronger than she had previously in her life.

Rae couldn’t take her eyes from Livvie’s lips for most of the night. She had stared at them for hours upon hours in the secret of her room at night through the glow of a screen, but now that they were there before her, she found herself unable to look away. Her urge to reach out and caress the woman’s neck was almost maddening, but she had done her best to quell every impulse rising in her that night.

Sitting up straighter on the bed, a small smile crept onto her face as she remembered calling it a night, and heading up to the second-floor hallway.

 

The room had started to dance before her, and she gripped the door handle to steady herself. Footsteps approaching made her stand upright, and when she saw it was Livvie that came around the corner, Rae’s gut lurched at the sight of her.

“Hi,” Rae managed to squeak out as Livvie advanced, her anticipation of being so close making it hard to speak.

“Hey,” she returned with a beautiful smile and a wink, “why are you just standing there? I thought you were calling it a night.”

“I am… I was…” Rae couldn’t help but laugh in the face of her nerves. Just being within an arm’s reach of Livvie was stripping her of any confidence she ever had in herself. Rae had never been the kind of woman to shy away from something she wanted; several men throughout the years could attest to that. When it came to her feelings for Liv, there was nothing she wanted more than to just be that assertive woman she knew she could be.

In the year she’d known her, Rae realized that this woman was more than she could understand or handle. The feelings that were growing were like nothing she’d felt ever, whether it was for a man or a woman; making the longing she felt all that harder to live with.

“Livvie, baby…” Rae teased as her friend took the last few tentative steps. “I was just waiting for you to head off to bed.” Rae winked, unable to control herself from flirting.

“Rae, what have I told you about flirting with me. If you can’t back it up, don’t do it,” Liv was the one teasing now as she playfully traced a fingertip across Rae’s lips, causing her face to flush red.

Suddenly, all the courage found its way to the surface, and as Liv’s hand trailed away from her, Rae reached out and grabbed it.

“Wait,” she said, drawing in a deep breath, mustering all the courage she needed, “who says I can’t back it up.”

Rae yanked Liv back to her and caressed her face, before returning the gesture and running a thumb against her own lips. When Rae leaned in and Liv didn’t move away, she took it as permission and kissed her deeply.

As if it was the key to unlocking everything, Rae stopped thinking and went for everything she’d been fantasizing about for months. Liv had no objections as Rae pushed her back against the wall, deepening the kiss and tugging at her shirt. She ran her hands up beneath her shirt, finding the silk of her bra and jerking it down to expose the sensitive flesh of breasts.

Liv sighed with pleasure with Rae’s fingertips lightly squeezed her nipple. Rae’s other hand drifted down between her legs, where she had all the proof she needed that Liv was as ready for this as she was.

“You really want this?” Liv asked, her eyes pleading with Rae to say yes. “I know this isn’t easy…”

“Shhhh,” Rae purred and kissed Liv intensely again before reaffirming how badly she wanted her, “this is the easiest choice I’ve ever made.”

Taking her hand, Rae led her down the hallway and into Liv’s room. Locking the door behind her, she didn’t waste a second tugging at Liv’s shirt and pulling it over her head. Rae let her fingertips gingerly glide down the length of Livvie’s arms, racing the goosebumps that were prickling beneath her touch.

Rae placed a light kiss on Liv’s neck as she reached around and unhooked her bra, letting it just fall to the floor. Tracing the contours of her back, Rae brought her fingers up and into the soft tendrils of her hair.

“I’ve lost track how many times I’ve imagined this,” she whispered, ghosting Liv’s lips with her own.

Liv could feel herself ache for Rae to touch her. The decision had already been made that she was in love with this woman, but now she needed to show her how much.

“Raelyn, please… I need to feel you, all of you,” Liv pleaded and pushed Rae back just enough to help her out of her own shirt.

Within a minute, Liv was completely nude on the bed. Rae slipped her shorts off, letting her panties drop with them. Propping herself up on the duvet, Liv bit down on her lower lip as she watched Rae approach her slowly. The woman’s long brown hair that normally cascaded down to the middle of her back was pushed over one shoulder, allowing the moonlight to touch the contours of her neck. Liv felt a deep ache flex between her thighs at the prospect of Rae climbing on top of her.

Rae’s weight on the bed drove Liv down to the pillows, her arms reaching out and grabbing the woman roughly.

“Get the fuck over here,” Liv purred advancing on her as if she were long awaited prey.

Liv kissed her hard, her tongue demanding entrance the second their mouths met. Rae had no objections and took her in deeply, her kiss grateful and welcoming. The feeling of Liv’s breasts against her own was like heaven to her senses, eliciting a moan of pleasure on Rae’s breath.

Pulling back from the kiss, Rae took Liv’s chin between her fingers and stared down at her with hungry, lustful eyes.

“What do you want from me?” Rae asked, nearly begging for Liv to command her. “Just tell me, you can have whatever you want.”

A devious smiled curled across Liv’s mouth, making Rae’s stomach flip with anticipation. She wrapped a hand gently around her long hair and brought her face within a breath of her own.

“I want you to make me cum so hard, I forget my own damn name,” Liv demanded before leaving a soft kiss on Rae’s ample lips. “Now…”

“Yes ma’am,” she said, her heart pounding in her chest.

Sitting back on her heels, Rae ran a hand down Liv’s neck until she reached her breast. Cupping one, she bent back over to cover the other with her mouth, not leaving one inch unattended too. Rae swirled her tongue around Liv’s nipple, and felt her own pussy flex and drip with an eagerness of being touched.

“Rae… now…” Liv commanded the woman, her ache growing to an uncontrollable throb.

Rae responded to the command immediately and moved further down, positioning herself between Liv’s legs. She left a trail of soft kisses on the glistening skin of her inner thighs, while her fingers teased the outside of Liv’s folds.

Rae could feel her own need growing, but she only wanted to please Livvie first. The closer her mouth got the more Liv bucked with need. She again wrapped her hands in Rae’s hair, pushing her face as deeply into her sex as she could.

A breathy moan of lust left Rae’s mouth as she allowed her tongue to find the sweet taste of her juices. Wrapping her hands up around her mid-drift to grip her tighter, Rae sucked on Liv’s clit, grazing it lightly with her teeth, then letting her tongue travel lower, finding her entrance and penetrating it as deeply as she could.

Liv could barely control herself as Rae did as she was told. Her nails dug tighter into Raelyn’s head as she worked her way around Liv’s most sensitive bundle of nerves, hitting each one as if her life depended on it. Being so wrapped up in what Rae was doing, Liv didn’t notice when she removed one hand from her waist and used several fingers to penetrate deep into her pussy, while the rest teased the outside of her anus.

“Holy fuck!” Liv screamed at the sensation Rae was eliciting in her. Her mind racing in a million directions and unable to form any sort of rational thought. Rae’s relentless assault was making Liv’s orgasm rise fast. She didn’t expect the woman to have such a fast effect on her normally strong resolve.

“Fuck… Rae… Oh my… SHIT!” She could feel herself flex against the fingers still pounding deeply into her. For a moment, she tried to pull Rae back up to her, but the woman planted herself firmly into her folds, unwilling to stop until she tasted every part.

Rae teased Liv’s clit with her teeth again, and this time she couldn’t stop the wave of pleasure as it ripped through her body. Liv’s orgasm hit like a freight train. She tried to pull Rae up to her one more time, but she didn’t move. Rae felt Liv’s mess coat her mouth, causing her lips to morph into a greedy grin.

Looking up at Liv, Rae’s hooded eyes sparkled with a blissful satisfaction at the look of pleasure she saw. She buried her face down into Liv again and used her tongue to take in as much of her as she could; the taste better than anything she could have ever imagined. When she was done, she sat up slowly and ran a finger up through her sex and up towards her breasts.

“Is that what you were hoping for?” Rae whispered and climbed out between Liv’s thighs, taking her place on the bed alongside her.

Liv was panting and breathless, and she could feel her pussy still flexing with pleasure. “My god woman. How the hell is this your first time?”

“Who said it was?” she purred and left a trail of kisses down her neck

Liv laughed heartily and rolled on her side. Moving her body in closer to Rae’s, she ran one lone finger across the woman’s cheek and smiled. Rae’s eyes fluttered closed at her touch, a rash of goosebumps erupting across her skin.

“Livvie,” Rae sighed, nearly breathless. Her eyes opened to find Liv’s bright blue ones soaking in every bit of her, currently fixed on her neck. Bending into her, Rae giggled at the sensation of Liv lightly biting on her neckline. Her tongue left a trail from her ear down to her collarbone, and when she reached the woman’s nipples, Liv buried her face between her breasts.

One lone hand slipped down into Rae’s soaking wet thighs. Liv pushed her way between the lips, lightly grazing her clit, and smiling at the reaction she saw on Rae’s face.

“God you’re beautiful,” Liv whispered and crashed her mouth down hard onto Rae’s. The alcohol was still swirling in her brain, but she was clear enough to realize how much she wanted this woman. Her own need satisfied for the time being, but a new one growing in its wake. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted you?”

A breathless sigh escaped Rae’s mouth at Liv’s confession. “Tell me,” she begged, “tell me how long and how bad you’ve wanted to fuck me.”

Rae ran her hand along Livvie’s arm that disappeared into her thighs. She covered her hand over Liv’s and moved her fingers in unison.

Liv could feel herself getting lost in the moment. The way Rae was slowly taking control made her crazier than she would’ve thought.

“Since the minute I laid eyes on you at that stupid conference, all I have been able to think about over the last year is if you’re as sweet as I think you are,” Liv smiled, and brought one of her fingers up to her mouth, licking the taste of Rae off it. “Yup,” she said as the finger popped out of her mouth.

Liv sat up, as she went to move her head towards Rae’s thighs, Rae stopped her.

“No,” she whispered, “I want you here,” and motioned for her to return to where she was.

Smiling, Livvie raised a curious brow as she settled back in her place next to Rae. Rae brushed a hair from her face and took in a long, lustful gaze of her features.

“You say I’m beautiful,” Rae mused wistfully, still caressing the woman’s cheek, “but I swear, nothing can compare to what I see when I look at you.”

Livvie swallowed hard, a swirling mix of love and lust building in her gut. With every word passing through Rae’s lips, she felt herself falling deeper in love and there was little to be done about it.

“Rae…”

“No, please. Olivia, you need to know how I feel—”

“I know, you’ve mentioned it once or twice,” she chuckled, her tongue darting across her lower lip.

Livvie leaned in and kissed her neck, knowing just how crazy it drove Rae. She ran her tongue over the sensitive place right below her ear, causing Rae’s arm to wrap tighter around the woman’s hip and sinking her fingers into the soft flesh of her ass.

As she left a mess of lingering, hot kisses across her neck and throat, Liv nipped at the lobe of her ear. “I wish I had come more prepared, I would love to fuck the shit out of you with something besides my hand.”

Rae laughed. “Baby, we have all week to go out and find us anything you want to play with… But right now, I want you to shut the fuck up.”

Now it was Liv’s turn to laugh. “Oh, don’t you like my pillow talk?” she teased, dipping her fingers deeper inside her.

Rae’s breath caught in her throat. While the sensation of Liv’s long fingers between her legs was enticing, there was something she wanted more.

“It’s not that, I just want to shut you up,” Rae purred as she swiftly rolled over on top of Liv. Ghosting her nose over her lover’s, she bit down gently on her lower lip, and sucked on it until it popped out of her mouth. Taking both of Liv’s arms, she pinned them over her head and bent down to her ear. “I am going to ride your face until your lips are numb and coated. Any issues with that, beautiful?”

“Good God no,” Liv moaned, licking her lips in anticipation.

Rae released her arms and positioned herself above Livvie’s mouth. She lowered herself slowly, resting her hands on the large wooden headboard. Unable to wait for the teasing to be done, Liv grabbed Rae’s ass and slammed her down onto her face.

A guttural moan escaped Rae’s lips as Liv immediately darted her tongue up to her clit. Lapping around the edges and back to the nub, Rae began grinding her hips slowly to get a little extra friction.

Liv’s fingers caressed and grabbed at Rae’s ass, pushing her deeper down giving her tongue the ability to reach further inside her.

“Jesus… shit Liv,” Rae whispered, closing her eyes and letting her head roll back, her hair spilling down her shoulders.

Liv reached up and grabbed the ends of her long hair. Giving it a pull caused Rae to become unhinged and grind harder against Liv’s mouth. Her other hand smacked the rump of her ass, bringing on another squeal of pleasure.

“FUCK! Livvie, that’s my girl… so close…” letting her head roll forward, Rae felt Liv’s tongue working around her clit, flicking and sucking it until she couldn’t hold out any longer. Rae felt her damn break, and her walls shuttering with release; leaving Livvie’s face slick with her mess.

Her body beyond exhausted, Rae fell beside her and nuzzled into her neck.

“Raelyn?”

“Yes, baby?”

“What took us so long?”

Rae propped herself up on her elbow and gazed down at the first woman to officially claim her heart. “Lots of stuff I guess. Please, I don’t want to talk about that all now. I just want to enjoy finally being able to touch you.”

Liv bit her lower lip and smiled. Turning down and getting under the covers, they snuggled into the bed facing each other and grinning wide. Rae could feel her eyes drooping, but she wasn’t ready for the evening to be over.

“Talk to me Liv, tell me your secrets…” she cooed, as the whiskey and release of being with Liv finally had taken its toll on her. A small yawn escaped Rae’s mouth as she listened to Liv’s innermost secrets while slowly drifting off to sleep.

 

A slight movement on the bed brought Rae’s attention back and around to the other side of the mattress. It suddenly hit her, everything that happened once the whiskey was gone, right until she passed out in the master suite of the cabin.

A smile spread across her face at the recollection and the realization of what had happened caused a flutter of butterflies to explode in her stomach. Rolling back onto the sheets, Rae slipped her legs back under the comforter and moved closer to the body that was warming the other side of the bed.

Splashes of auburn hair lay across the pillow as Rae gingerly brushed them back from the sleeping woman’s face.

“Is this all real?” she whispered to herself as she boldly nuzzled Livvie’s neck, drawing in a deep breath of her scent.

Livvie, still asleep, moaned with approval and moved her head to bare more of her neck in Rae’s direction.

“Liv?”

“Mmhmm?” she purred as her hand slowly emerged from the security of the blankets and up around Rae’s neck and into her hair.

Rae instinctively pressed soft kisses to her skin, relishing in the sweetness of how she tasted.

“Last night…” Rae started but found she didn’t want to remove her mouth from Livvie’s skin long enough to complete her question.

A brush of her tongue against Liv’s flesh elicited a breathless moan and caused her fingers to tangle deeper into Rae’s hair. Rae slipped her arm around Liv’s hip and ran the tips of her fingers across her abdomen, just inches above the heat that was quickly building between her thighs.

“Rae, don’t tease…” Liv whispered rolling her head back to see the woman she spent the night making love to, “…we’ve waited so long, don’t waste timing teasing me.” Her voice was soft and wanting, making Rae drip with a need for her.

Rae pressed a lustful kiss to her ample mouth, allowing her teeth to lightly graze against Livvie’s bottom lip. Liv flipped her body to face Rae, deepening the kiss and causing Rae’s fingers to brush up against closer to her sex.

“You sure?” Rae asked, knowing the answer but wanted to hear Livvie say it.

“God yes,” Livvie purred as she quickly turned the tables, and had Rae overturned on her back. Liv’s hair hung long and messy around her face as Rae gazed up at her. Rae moved a strand of hair back behind her ear and pulled her by the back of the neck down to kiss her again.

Livvie began slowly moving her hips against Rae’s as she straddled her and left her own trail of kisses down her neck. Slipping her hand beneath the fabric of her sheer tank top, Rae closed her eyes at the sensation of her fingers as they brushed against her breasts.

The slow grinding of Liv’s hips was causing Rae to slowly go mad with lust. She dug her fingers into the woman’s flesh and smiled at the sense of déjà vu.

A knock at the bedroom door brought Rae and Liv’s morning romp to a sudden halt. A second later, another knock came, Vaughn’s voice floating through the large wooden frame.

“Liv? You up? Meg and I are making breakfast… going to go and try to wake up Rae now… Livvie?”

Liv and Rae locked eyes and couldn’t suppress the fit of giggles that overtook them. Liv climbed off Rae and sat next to her on the bed. Burying her face in the pillow, Rae motioned for Liv to respond and tried desperately to remain quiet.

“Yeah, ok Vaughn… I’ll be up in a minute,” Liv called out towards the door, her blue eyes seeking out Rae’s only to see the flash of disappointment. Liv mouthed the words I’m sorry at her friend, and Rae shrugged.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, “rain check?”

Liv leaned over and ghosted Rae’s lips, “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Licking her bottom lip, Rae kissed her deeply one last time before finally getting up from the bed and gathering their mess of clothes on the floor.

“Rae, I just have one question…” Liv sat up on her knees near the end of the bed and waited for Rae to be within arm’s reach. Drawing the woman in closer by the straps of her tank top, Liv took in a long, lustful look of her, “what do we tell them?”

“About this?” Rae asked playfully raising a brow.

“This… or the secret you told me last night. Have any plans on filling in Meg and Vaughn about either one of those things?”

“The secret…” Rae trailed off, a realization dawning on her face, “Oh shit, I told you about that?”

“You did. I mean, you didn’t tell me everything, but I am pretty sure that’s because you were shitfaced and spent.”

Rae chuckled and felt a wave of relief wash over her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she had a vague recollection of mentioning a secret to Livvie, but if it was the one she was thinking of now, she realized she must have sounded insane.

“What did I tell you exactly?” Rae asked as she slipped her shorts back on.

“You really don’t remember?” Liv climbed off the bed and went to her suitcase to dig out fresh clothing.

“No, I told you, whiskey erases my brain,” Rae laughed and sat on the edge of the mattress. She sat and watched Liv thread her arms through a white button-down shirt and pull on her jeans; a pang of regret hitting her as she fastened up the shirt and covering her breasts.

“You asked me to tell you a secret, and I did… do you remember that?”

Rae closed her eyes again and smiled at the recollection of Liv’s secret. “Yes, I do…” a smile crawling across her lips at the memory of it.

“Right… then I said, tell me yours. You said, that you chose this cabin for our retreat for a particular reason.”

“I did… oh. Right. I remember now,” Rae sighed and felt her chest tighten.

Liv continued talking but Rae couldn’t hear her any longer. Her mind touched on the truth behind the secret she nearly spilled in the dark of the bedroom. Could she really tell them about it? It was why she brought them there, after all. They were writers, dreamers, and poets, and if she couldn’t trust them with this, who could she trust.

The question was, would they believe her?


	2. Finding Magic

Rae made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, where the smell of coffee filled the air. Vaughn was floating through the room, moving from the stove top, to cupboard and across to the refrigerator in preparation of the essential morning stimulants.

“Morning,” Rae said, sitting on the stool as Vaughn placed a mug of steaming coffee in front of her.

“Good morning, sleep well?” she asked, turning to retrieve the cream and missing the flush of red that flashed on Rae’s face.

“Mmhmm… great,” she said and sipped the liquid, careful not to burn her tongue. “Where’s Meg?”

“Calling the baby daddy and checking in I think,” Vaughn replied, resting her elbows on the counter and starring at Rae as she swallowed her coffee.

“What?” Rae asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

Before Vaughn could respond, Meg entered the kitchen and tossed her cell phone down on the counter. “Morning,” she said moving past Rae, reaching for one of the cups, “So, did you ask her?” Meg looked to Vaughn, who stood straight up and shook her head.

“No, Megan, I haven’t,” she responded and threw a warning glance at the woman.

Rolling her eyes, Meg drank the coffee and looked over at Rae. “So, how was it?”

“What?” Rae asked, her brow furrowed curiously. “How was what?”

“Jesus Christ,” Meg sighed and shook her head, “it’s gonna be like that is it? Ok. Fine. I’ll be blunter… how was the sex with Liv? Seriously, I want to know… not like I haven’t tho—”

“Megan!” Vaughn chastised with a surprised laugh, “do you have no manners?”

“Oh, please… like we all didn’t come here to get drunk and talk about sex. Retreat… please,” she took the stool next to Rae and finished her coffee.

Rae was stunned into silence, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that their secret was never really a secret, to begin with.

“Morning ladies,” Livvie said, entering the kitchen with a smile. “Whatcha talkin’ about?”

“How you and Rae spent the night fucking…” Meg said casually and put her cup on the counter.

“Oh,” Liv said, her face flashing bright red, “I see…”

Rae’s breath caught, and she was afraid to look at Livvie. Suddenly she felt Liv’s hand on the back of her neck, gently pulling her head around and pressing a kiss to her lips.

“Good, glad that’s settled then,” she said, grinning like a teenager and allowing her hand to linger on the back of Rae’s neck before gratefully accepting the mug of steeped tea Vaughn handed her.

“Alright, now that the giant elephant has been kicked the fuck out, let’s discuss the game plan ladies. I am getting hangry, so… food?” Meg looked from face to face, with everyone nodding in unison. “Fantastic. Now, who wants to cook it?” she clapped her hands together and looked around again hopefully.

“I will…” Rae volunteered and stood from the stool. “Why not go out and enjoy the view of the lake, we didn’t really get to see it much yesterday since all y’all wanted to do was drink.”

Meg rolled her eyes and snorted a laugh, “That’s not all—”

Vaughn cut her off with a punch to the arm. Pulling Meg up from the seat, Vaughn looped her arm through her friend’s, and steered her towards the balcony door. “Come now my love,” she tutted, ushering her through the entry, “let’s enjoy the crisp air and stop embarrassing our friends.”

Meg’s objections were lost in the air as the two women ventured further out onto the deck. Livvie was laughing at them as she watched Rae move about the kitchen prepping breakfast.

“Want some help?” Liv asked as Rae cracked the eggs into a bowl.

“No, I’m good. Why don’t you go enjoy the view with them? I’ll bring the food out when its ready.”

“Trying to get rid of me already?” Liv teased and stood behind Rae, slipping her arms around her waist and resting her chin on her shoulder.

“Not at all,” Rae smiled and rested her head back against Liv’s, “I promise, just trying to provide food for Meg before she turns rabid on someone. That woman cannot be left hangry.”

“Fair enough. But, first I must ask you… are you ok with them knowing?” Liv moved to stand next to Rae and looked at her thoughtfully. “We didn’t really even get a chance to talk about it, and now it’s out there.”

Rae paused as she whisked the eggs, resting the bowl back to the counter. Turning to Liv, she was considering the question, but also the thing beyond it; the wonderous thing she wanted to share with them, but was unsure if she could really trust them yet.

“The four of us, and whatever happens here, while we’re here… stays between us. No matter what. What happens between you and me, is for us. I don’t care that they know, I don’t care if they see us kissing or touching, because that’s not gonna stop…” Rae smiled sweetly and reached up to leave a soft kiss on Liv’s mouth.

“But…” Rae paused, turning her attention back to the eggs, “whatever we decide on for us when this is over, has to be our choice and not influenced by them or anything else.”

Liv laughed, but behind it was a tinge of uncertainty, “Um, cryptic much babe?”

“Not trying to be, really. But Liv…” Rae was cut short by a banging on the door.

Meg had her face pressed against the glass, palms flattened on either side. “WHERE’S FOOOD?”

“Guess she’s gone beyond hangry. You better hurry up or she’s going to eat Vaughn,” Liv chuckled as she walked towards the door, trying to shew the woman away so she could exit. “Talk more later?” she asked Rae before leaving. Rae nodded and flashed her a sweet smile as she left the kitchen.

Pouring the eggs into the pan, she shifted them absently with the spatula while her mind wondered. Of course, they would talk. They had a lot of talking to do, but it wouldn’t be that day or the next. Today, however, she thought it might be time to tell them about why she brought them up to this cabin in the first place.

Her mind wandered down to the basement where the old piece of metal lived silently. Rae’s fingers hadn’t touched it in nearly ten years, but she could already sense the tingling sensation of her fingertips on the buttons. Her heart fluttered as she recalled the clacking sound as each letter key struck the ribbon, leaving its imprint on the paper.

A sound of laughter from outside drew her attention back to the task at hand. Shaking the memories clear, Rae focused on feeding her girlfriends and decided to leave the other thoughts for later.

 

Once the late breakfast was cleared, a trip into town was planned to gather the remaining supplies for the week. All piling into Rae’s Jeep, the four women relished in the country air as they maneuvered through the scenic mountain trails and down into the valley.

Vaughn stepped out onto the sidewalk and threw her arms open wide, turning her face up to the sun.

“This place!” she drew in a deep breath, smiling at the sweetness of the air. “I swear, this place is magical Raelyn.”

Choking back a laugh, Rae nodded, “You could say that V.”

“Magical… that’s an extreme assessment,” Meg scoffed. “Beautiful as fuck, yes, absolutely. But magical?”

“Why must you be so cynical, love? Can’t you feel that vibration? It’s in everything… Raelyn, am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not,” a small smile touched her lips as she thought back to the secret she had hiding in the cabin.

Vaughn knew, she could feel it already. There was an energy to the mountain and all it encompassed and that was the sole reason her family had chosen to settle there a hundred years ago. Before Rae’s mind was able to travel back any further into the Hollow branch of her family tree, Liv grabbed her hand and pulled her to catch up with the others.

After the shopping was done and the groceries were loaded in the Jeep, Meg had her attention drawn to a boutique window. Taking Vaughn’s arm, she tugged her towards the shop while Rae and Liv packed up the last of the bags.

“Hey!” Meg called over her shoulder, “I’m going in, are you guys coming?”

“Be right there,” Rae called and watched them go in. “You can go if you want, I am going to stay here.”

Liv snorted a laugh, “Why? That dress is cute as hell and I think I want to try it on myself. Don’t you want to see it on me?” Liv winked and playfully bumped her hip into Rae’s.

Rae couldn’t help but crack a smile at her girlfriend’s flirtatious nature. Shaking her head, Rae shrugged, “It’s better if I don’t. The lady that runs that store doesn’t like me or my family much.”

“Seriously? Why?”

“Long story. Let’s just say that both families have been in these parts for long enough to have developed a Hatfield and McCoy sort of relationship.”

“So that means you can’t go shopping? Bullshit, c’mon,” Liv grabbed Rae’s hand and pulled her close enough to wrap an arm snuggly around her waist. “I want you to come in and look around with me. And,” Liv leaned in a left a soft yet wanting kiss on Rae’s neck, “I want to see if maybe they have something you can wear for me later.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Rae purred, relishing in the feeling of Liv being so close. “You’re right, fuck it. Let’s go shopping.”

When the two women entered the store, they immediately located Vaughn shuffling through a rack of bright yellow sun dresses. Meg was just slipping into a dressing room when they joined Vaughn.

“This boutique is great! So sweet and the clothing is so unique. With all the shops we have in Miami, there isn’t much like this one.”

“Its been here for years,” Rae said as she sifted through the hangers. “I came here once before when I was living with my grandmother. Tried to buy a prom dress but, had no luck.”

“You went to prom?” Liv asked with surprise, “That I cannot imagine.”

“No, I didn’t end up going. Looked for a dress, but never worked out.”

“Oh babe, I’m sorry… I didn’t—”

“It’s fine Liv, really,” Rae walked around the rack of clothes and kissed Liv’s cheek. “Besides, we weren’t here for prom dresses, remember?”

Rae raised her brow at Liv and turned on her heel towards the back of the shop where the lacier attire was kept. Vaughn couldn’t help but laugh as Liv stepped quickly in tow. She watched the two women walk away, and felt her heart swell with love.

She admired how they were being so open and free with each other. To feel the love between them was something she’d wanted for herself for longer than she could imagine. Vaughn sighed and turned her attention to the dressing room where Meg was slipping into the blue dress.

She found an empty chair right outside Meg’s door and fell into it with a huff. Brushing back the long, wavy blonde locks from her face, she absently gazed off, her mind wandering to what was waiting for her back in Miami.

Taking in a deep breath, Vaughn imagined Allen’s face and the expression he wore when she had caught him behaving badly. It was only days before she had left for the trip. Luckily, she’d been so preoccupied with being with the girls that she hadn’t had time to dwell on any of that mess back home.

Another minute passed before Vaughn sat up and took out her cell phone. Going into the pictures, she brought up the latest one of her and Allen. The one that he had someone take while at a launch party for his newest club. Vaughn lightly rubbed her finger over the virtual face of the man who claimed to love her.

Feeling the constriction in her chest, Vaughn could feel the flash of anger rising. Shoving the phone back into her bag, she was suddenly distracted by the sound of raised voices from the back of the store.

Just as she was standing, Meg was exiting the dressing room with the blue dress. Her and Vaughn locked eyes and were confused by what was happening. When they realized it was Liv and Rae in the mix, they both moved to the back of the boutique.

“I’m sorry, you may need to repeat that ma’am, cause honestly, I thought you just told her to get out of your store.” Liv’s face was flushed red as she stood directly in between Rae and another older woman.

“That’s exactly what I said,” she spat, glaring at Rae.

“And why in God’s name is that? Is it because she’s shopping hand in hand with another woman?” Liv raised her hand that held Rae’s in demonstration.

“Liv,” Rae protested softly, wishing that they never walked into the shop.

“Good God no. Listen missy, I don’t give a rat’s ass if you like to have relations with boys, girls or both at the same time,” the old lady huffed, “BUT, this one right here…” one, lone bony finger pointed at Rae’s face, “her kind is trouble. Always has been, always will be. Them damn Hollow’s… always making trouble for us folk down here in the valley. Her gran—”

“You shut up about my grandmother, Lilly. Don’t think I don’t know what the two of you conjured up. She told me all about it, and you were a part of it. You don’t like me, fine. You don’t want me in your store, fine. But, don’t you dare spit on her while she’s long dead and unable to defend herself.”

Rae’s face had morphed into something Liv hadn’t seen in her. She was angry and determined, yet still somehow maintained the ability to speak evenly and without fury.

“What the fuck is this?” Meg asked as she and Vaughn flanked either side of Liv and Rae. “Problem here?”

The old lady grunted. “You could say. I want her gone,” her finger unrolled in Rae’s direction again.

“Whatever. I am not going to let this old hag ruin a perfectly good vacation. Ladies, I’ll be outside waiting.”

“No need,” Meg said and dropped the dress on the floor in front of the woman. “I won’t be purchasing anything today.”

Looping an arm through both Vaughn and Liv’s the trio turned and followed Rae out of the store and to the Jeep.

 

The ride back to the cabin was rather silent. None of them wanted to bring up the incident in the store or what was exchanged between Rae and the old woman. Vaughn and Meg shared some passing glances in the back seat, while Rae drove silently, Liv’s hand resting gently on her knee.

Hours later, after dinner had been prepared, then put away, the women sat on the deck under the stars, passing around the bottles of wine they had picked up that morning.

“So,” Meg said, licking the red wine from her lips, “are we ever going to talk about what happened today or what?”

“Not much to tell really. She doesn’t like my family,” Rae shrugged. “The Hollows were one of the first families to settle on the mountain. Lilly’s family, the Porters, were another one of the early settlers. They’ve been fighting back and forth for generations. That’s all.”

“Seemed like more than that,” Vaugh said looking at them. “You said something about her and your grandmother conjuring something, what was that?”

Rae gulped the rest of her wine and took the bottle from Liv and refilled the glass. “I have a better idea. Let’s pretend it never happened and do something else!”

Clapping her hands together, Rae stood and grabbed another log to toss into the fire pit. Vaughn stood as well and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Honey, you can tell us you know. Whatever it’s about…”

“I know V, I know. It’s just a long, complicated story that would bring down the mood. Honestly, I just want to laugh and drink. Enjoy your company and save the long saga of my family for another day.”

“I got it!” Meg sat up from the chase and raised her glass in a toast, “truth or dare. I mean, why not, right? Getting shit faced is always fun when there are secrets and dares to play with.”

“I don’t know—” Liv started but was interrupted by Vaughn and Rae simultaneously and excitedly agreeing to the game.

“Yes!”

“Let’s do it!”

After adjusting the fire one last time, Rae took her seat next to Liv. Drinking heartily from her glass, she turned to Vaughn and posed the first question.

“I feel like I am sixteen again, but…. Truth or dare?” she giggled and sipped more of her wine.

“Oh, let’s start this off easy with a truth. I am not nearly drunk enough for dares yet!”

“Alright, tell me something you’ve always wanted to see, but never have.”

“Really Rae? That’s the best you got?” Meg asked as she leaned forward to refill her glass. “We should be switching to the hard shit for this game.”

“No way, you’re not getting me fucked up on whiskey two nights in a row Meg,” Rae shook her head and leaned back against the cushions.

“Yeah, well, it worked for you last night didn’t it?” Meg purred while giving Liv a wink. “Worked out just fine.”

“Will you hush and let me answer?” Vaughn tutted and pulled Megan back into her, so her head was resting on Vaughn’s shoulder.

“Fine,” Meg pouted and nuzzled her head into her friend’s arm.

“Fireflies,” Vaught answered finally. “I’ve never seen one but in television and movies. I’ve always wanted to though. I think they’d be beautiful.”

“They are, especially out here in the summer. We’ll have to come back so you can witness it,” Rae smiled and looked longingly out into the woods. “Usually mid to late summer you see them starting to light up and engulf the entire lake. It’s truly an amazing sight.”

“Ok, enough with the bugs,” Meg said, looking up to Vaughn. “Your turn babe.”

“Fine Megan, you clearly want to be tested so, tell me love, truth or dare?”

“Fucking dare. Every damn time I will pick dare,” Meg’s eyes narrowed at the declaration and a sly grin unrolled as she waited for Vaughn to dare her.

“Get naked and go skinny dipping in the lake,” Vaughn said, raising her brows in a challenge. “Drop all your clothes right here, and dive in. I’ve dipped my toes in and it’s quite lovely so, none of that it’s too cold nonsense.”

“Seriously? You think that’s a challenge?”

Megan stood, her eyes fixed solely on Vaughn’s. Quickly discarding her clothing, the rising moonlight highlighted her small frame and illuminated the goosebumps erupted across her bare skin.

“Maybe though, Rae could have a towel waiting or something. I’d rather not die of hyperthermia.”

“Yup, as soon as I see your naked ass go plunging into the lake, I’m happy to grab you a towel,” Rae smirked and raised a glass at Meg before taking a long drink.

Rolling her eyes, Meg sprinted out onto the extended deck and leaped from the edge of the boards into the lake. The splash of her body into the water caused the remaining women to burst out into catcalls and shouts of excitement. They cheered for her bravery and when she emerged out of the water, her hair whipping back from her face, they stood and clapped at her completion of the dare.

“Easy fucking peasy,” Meg shouted from the water, a huge grin scrawled across her face.

“I’ll be right back,” Rae said, as she ventured inside to grab the promised towel. 

On a minute or two had gone by since going inside, but when she returned the deck was empty, save for a pile of clothes on the lounge. Rae looked up to see Liv and Vaughn, both completely nude and running down the plank towards the water.

“Jesus Christ,” Rae snickered to herself, “good thing we didn’t bust out the whiskey tonight.”

Shaking her head, she placed the towel down on the chair and watched them in the water. The night sky was void of any cloud cover, allowing the stars to shine as majestically as possible. The band of the Milky Way was even visible without the ambient light of any city blocking it. Rae drew in a deep breath and enjoyed the late Spring evening in the place where she felt the most like herself. Having the three most important people in her life sharing the experience with her just made it all the more special.

The wine was starting to weave its way into her senses. Though she wasn’t drunk, it had dulled her enough to not feel the slightest bit of embarrassment to discard her own clothes to join them.

Leaving her garments in the pile, Rae tiptoed onto the dock. When she reached the edge, she whistled to get their attention. Arms over her head, Rae dove head first into the water, the sounds of their excitement drowned out by the water rushing past her ears. 

Breaching the surface, the first face she saw was Liv’s. Brushing the strands of wet hair from her face, Liv pressed a hard kiss to her mouth. Rae felt Liv’s arm brush up against her breast, causing her to wrap her arms around Liv’s neck and return the kiss even deeper. 

Meg cleared her throat and teasingly covered Vaughn’s eyes. “You don’t need to see this,” she said as Vaughn giggled trying to remove her hand. 

Liv reluctantly pulled back, lightly biting Rae’s bottom lip before doing so. “To be continued. So, what took you so long?”

“I was gone for a second and you drunk bitches couldn’t wait to get naked without me. What the hell?”

“It’s a good thing you’re here now, cause it’s your turn… truth or dare?” Meg asked as she floated towards Vaughn.

“Nope, I asked the first question… it’s Liv’s turn,” Rae shrugged.

Liv splashed water at her, “Nice, love you too.”

“Just following the rules baby,” Rae winked and looked back to Meg. “So, ask her the question.”

“Fine. Liv. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Ugh, Y'all are boring. Where’re the dares people?”

“I need more booze for dares, Meg,” Liv chuckled before dipping herself under the water again.

“Whatever. Livvie… tell me what you want most in the world.”

“To get the novel published,” Liv answered wistfully, “I know that’s not the answer you were looking for but, it’s what I want more than anything.”

“It’ll happen Liv, I know it,” Meg said, splashing a little water at her. “One way or another. That masterpiece will see the light of day. We’ll make sure of it.”

“You bet your ass we will,” Rae said as she slipped an arm gently around Liv’s neck and kissed her cheek.

“Alright baby, no more stalling,” Liv said, turning her face up to Rae’s, “truth or dare?”

“Fuck. Fine. Um…. Dare.”

“Yes!” Meg shouted, making Vaughn and Liv laugh.

“Ok, I dare you to show us what makes this place so special.”

Rae stood frozen in the water. Slowly she released her grip on Liv and looked at her questioningly.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do. I know there is a reason you brought us here. You’ve been cryptic about it, and not just since we’ve arrived. In all the planning leading up to this, you were insistent that we come here. Then today, while in town. There’s definitely more to that story and I cannot help but think the two are connected.”

“You’re a writer, of course you try to make connections between the two,” Rae tried to tease, but it was a thin veil over the nerves starting to rise.

“No, I think she’s right,” Vaughn said with a shrug. “I got that impression too.”

Rae sighed and slowly dipped her head back into the water. Her grandmother’s voice floating through her head, just tell them little one, unload your burden…

“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she warned, looking at their faces and hoping what she saw there didn’t change. They all gazed at her with excited, hopeful eyes; but would that fade when the absurdity of her secret was revealed?

“We already think you’re crazy woman, just fucking tell us…” Meg said impatiently, “I mean, we love you no matter what so, is there a secret S and M room or something?”

Rae laughed and shook her head. “No, but maybe we can work on that for next visit. This is a little different. There is a secret room though. Down, beyond the boiler room in the basement. In it is a family heirloom that, when used, can alter anything.”

“What do you mean, alter anything?” Vaughn asked, her brow furrowed in curiosity.

“It’s a typewriter, and it can change things. It can make a sunny day full of clouds. It can turn a summer day cold. It could—”

“Conjure up something,” Liv said quietly, repeating Rae’s words from earlier in the day back to her. “Is this part of that, what you said to that woman in the store?”

Rae nodded, “Yes.”

“How’s it possible though?” Meg asked before passing a glance at Vaughn. “Is it magic? Like, enchanted object kind of magic?”

Looking between the women, Rae was astounded at how calmly they were asking questions. She half expected them to run from the water because they thought she was insane. Instead, they were inquisitive and interested. Their expressions didn’t read as though they were in disbelief or intent on goading her on. They seemed as though they were really intrigued by the idea of what was hidden on the bottom floor of the cabin.

“I wish I knew for sure. When I was a teenager I lived here with my gram. She was in and out of it with dementia, but during one of her lucid days, she insisted on showing it to me. Said I was the only one left in the family who could care for it properly.”

“How does it work?” Liv asked.

“I can show you if you want, that’s the dare, right? C’mon, let’s get dry and I’ll show you.”

Once they were dry and dressed, Rae told Vaughn and Meg to stay on the dock and wait so they can witness the result of what she was about to do. She asked Livvie to grab her cell phone and tape what she did instead, to show Vaughn and Meg once it was done.

Heading inside to the ground level, Rae flipped on the light switches and illuminated a small square room with two small windows that looked out onto the lake. The only furniture consisted of a dark mahogany desk and in front of it a burgundy wingback chair placed directly in the center of the room.

Sitting on top was an aging high-backed typewriter, with shiny black paint embellished with small gold flowers and scrolls in the corners. There was one piece of paper set in the carriage that didn’t have a speck of dust on it.

“You weren’t kidding,” Liv whispered more to herself than to Rae.

“Nope, wasn’t kidding,” Rae moved into the room and pulled the chair out from the desk. “Get your phone up Liv.”

Liv did as asked while Rae sat in the oversized chair. Pulling in closer to the desk, she drew in air deeply and held on to it for a minute.

“Alright then, here we go.” Rae felt the breath escape her lips slowly. She closed her eyes, allowing her fingers to brush up against the keys of the typewriter. Electricity buzzed against them as she attempted to bring the image of the old Sholes and Glidden model into the swirling pale purple mist that homed her third eye.

Opening herself to the magic just as her grandmother had taught her, Rae could feel her celestial self-reach out and make the connection to the forces living within the machine and paper to which it was enchanted.

Liv stood off to the side with her phone taping and noticed when Rae’s fingers engaged the keys. She saw the change in the woman’s body and had to restrain herself from reacting. Rae’s head fell forward, her back rounding out so her shoulders hunched over the keys; her long hair fell forward, obscuring Liv’s view of the keytop.

Before connecting to the machine, Rae had decided what she would conjure. Vaughn had never seen a firefly, and even though it was far too early in the season for them to unearth themselves from hibernation, she was about to give Vaughn her wish.

Liv moved around to get a better view of her Rae as she began banging away at the keys. From the corner of her eye, she could see out the cabin window to where Vaughn and Meg sat on the edge of the dock, their silhouettes blocking out the reflected moonlight on the lake.

Rae continued typing away, her eyes still closed, and her body slightly rocking side to side as the hypnotizing sound of the typewriter moved her. She continued for another minute and when the sound suddenly came to a stop, Liv stood up straighter and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Rae?” she asked timidly, unsure of whether she would get a response at all.

Rae’s back straightened and when she lifted her head, tears were streaming from the corners of her eyes.

“Raelyn, what the he—” Liv took a tentative step but stopped when Rae held up her hand.

“Look outside,” she said, her voice harsh yet small.

Liv shook her head in confusion and sighed. Putting her cell phone back in her pocket, she reluctantly turned to look out the window.

Vaughn and Meg were still sitting on the edge of the dock, their toes lightly splashing in the water. From the darkness of the surrounding woods, a green illumination began to swell. Thousands of soft green and yellow lights flickered as they floated through the trees towards the women.

Liv’s eyes grew wide as she watched her friends become quickly engulfed in the earthy luminescence of the creatures. She was so mesmerized, she didn’t realize that Rae was beside her, until she felt an arm wrap around her own.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Rae said quietly and slipped her hand into Liv’s. “C’mon, you don’t want to miss this.” Rae pulled Liv towards the study door.

“Rae, I don’t understand… what was that?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at the typewriter as they were leaving the room.

“I promise to explain it all, I do,” Rae pulled Liv closer and placed a hand on her cheek. “Please, just come with me… let me show you the magic that really lives in this world.”

Liv saw the desperation in her eyes and could hear the longing in her voice. Knowing she couldn’t say no to her, Liv decided that her curiosity and desire for the truth could take a back seat for now. Seeing Rae like this was enough for her to know that whatever she was going to share was going to be special and meaningful.

“Ok baby… show me.”

 

image  
Originally posted by fleurdanslalune

 

Vaughn’s toe flicked a drop of water towards Meg playfully. “You think whatever she’s doing in there will work?”

“I don’t have a clue, but I guess we’ll find out. Though she didn’t exactly clue us in as to what we should be looking for.” Meg responded and kicked the water back. “I don’t want to say that she’s crazy, but what she’s saying—”

Meg was stopped by the first of the green lights to drift from the woods. She blinked, and there was a dozen more. Vaughn saw them too and slowly stood from her place on the dock.

“Megan?” she asked in a dry whisper. “Megan do you…”

“Mmhmm, I do,” Meg responded, unable to take her eyes off the now illuminated woods.

By the time Rae and Liv joined them on the dock the brilliance of their lights was reflecting off the lake and swirling up into the air as if being funnel through a slow-moving tornado only to then be dispersed into the night sky and fade into the stars.

“What is this?” Vaughn asked breathlessly. “Raelyn…”

“It’s magic Vaughn. Just like you said earlier. This place is magic.”

“But how?”

“She typed it. She typed it out and made it happen,” Liv said without hesitation. Her eyes were wide and transfixed in the bio illumination of the insects. Reaching into her phone, she absently handed it out straight to either Meg or Vaughn to take it. “Here…”

Meg took the phone and pried her eyes from the miracle unfolding before her. Finding the video, she watched the scene unfold and right before the camera panned away from Raelyn hunched over the keyboard, she hit paused and zoomed in on the paper lodged in the typewriter.

“The women allowed their toes to playfully tease each other in the water as they waited for the fireflies to emerge from their slumber, illuminating the lake before turning back into stardust.”

“Holy shit,” Meg breathed and looked up at Rae. “This is some serious voodoo here Rae.”

“It’s not voodoo Meg. It’s just… magic. Pure, unfiltered, age-old magic.”

No one else spoke. They stood on the edge of the dock and watched in wonder as the remaining bit of fireflies followed the rest from the forest floor, across the lake and up into the sky where their green light faded into that of the stars.

Rae felt a hand entwine in her and glanced over to see Liv standing close. She rested her head on Liv’s shoulder and felt relief wash over her. That moment was when she knew, the four of them were bonded for life now. No matter what befell their lives individually, they would all have this place of shared magic between them.


	3. Apologies

“You have to explain it again Rae, I’m sorry,” Meg shook her head and ran a hand through her long, raven locks. “I’m hearing what you are saying, but I just can’t wrap my mind around it.” She shrugged and threw a glance at Vaughn, who sat quietly beside her.

“Vaughn, you alright?” Liv asked softly from her place on the other side of the lounge.

“I have never seen something so beautiful, Liv,” there was a breathless wonder to her voice that made Rae smile. “I am still just trying to process it all.”

Meg snorted a laugh. “That’s an understatement,” she said shaking her head.

“I know this is crazy guys. Trust me. The first time I ever experienced it I thought my grandmother was out of her mind.”

“How did she show you?” Liv asked resting her head on her hand, exhaustion setting into her posture but a strange expression on her face.

“I was staying here for the summer to help take care of her. It was awfully hot one day and I wanted to go swimming, but there was a thunderstorm rolling in with a good amount of lighting. She made it go away,” Rae smiled absently at the memory.

“Just like that?” Meg asked.

“Just like that,” Rae said and snapped her fingers.

“I drank too much,” Meg groaned, shaking her head more. “I guess… I don’t know. It’s possible. I mean. I’ve seen crazy shit before that had no rational explanation. Why would this?”

“I wish I could offer you more Megan. It’s just how it is. Trust me I’ve tried to figure it out, and if my gram hadn’t been so sick already, maybe I could’ve learned more,” Rae swallowed hard and felt tears prick her eyes at the memory of her grandmother. “But, it’s all I have.”

A breeze passed through the deck chilling Vaughn enough to break the magic of the moment. She grabbed the towel closest to her and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“I hate to be the party pooper, but I think I am going up. I’m exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. I don’t want to lose that image before my mind has a chance to slip off to sleep.”

Standing and pulling the towel closer around her, she gave each of the girls a kiss on the cheek, ending with Raelyn.

“What you did for me tonight, was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. You better believe we will be discussing this more in the morning.”

“I very much look forward to it Vaughn,” you said and squeezed her hand as she floated past you and into the house.

Meg was the next to excuse herself, much in the same fashion as Vaughn. She bid Rae and Liv good night and headed up to her room at the end of the upstairs hall.

Rae passed Liv a quizzical look and sat across from her on the large sectional lounger.

“You’re quiet,” Rae mused with a slight apprehension.

“I don’t know what to say. That’s quite a secret you held onto there,” Liv snorted a laugh with the last word and stood. Pacing around the deck, Rae could feel the tension between them and felt a knot start forming in her stomach.

“I never meant to keep it from you completely. I had always—”

“It’s not that,” Liv said, tears were forming in her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Rae got up and gently grabbed Liv by her arms, turning her so they were face-to-face.

“Then what is it?”

There was a look in Liv’s eyes that broke Raelyn’s heart. She didn’t need to say it, Rae already knew what she was thinking just by the expression that she wore.

Rae’s hands slid down Liv’s arms and fell back to her sides with a thud. She took a step back and landed on the lounge as if someone threw her there. Rae shook her head slightly side to side, unable to process the thoughts she was having thanks to Olivia.

“You don’t really think…” Rae swallowed hard and finally looked up to meet her eyes that were now swimming in tears.

“I don’t want too, but… did you? Did you use it on me? Did you use it to get me…?” Olivia choked on the last two words, unable to purge them from her lips as the emotion poured from her eyes.

“How can you even think that?” Rae felt sick and horrified at the implication.

“I don’t know Rae. This thing with us happened too quickly. Out of the blue—”

“Out of the blue?!” Rae stood up with a huff and felt a burn of anger growing. “Out of the blue, my ass. This,” she motioned between them, “this started a long time ago and you fucking know it.”

Liv inhaled sharply and immediately regretted her accusation. She didn’t even know where the initial idea had sparked, only that the suspicion started growing the minute she saw what the typewriter could do. What Raelyn could do with it.

“Rae, I’m—I’m sorry,” she admitted softly, unable to meet Rae’s burning glare. “It’s just that, this all happened so fast. Suddenly, there you were, and everything I ever thought about myself and what I wanted was out the window. All I could think about was you… being with you.”

“The fact that thought even crossed your mind is what hurts, Liv. I’ve never once hid from you that I was attracted to you. Besides, I got here with you. Vaughn and Meg were here first, remember? I waited at the airport for you because you were coming in right after my flight landed.”

Liv saw the hurt in Rae’s eyes and felt her stomach turn. After the way they had spent the previous night and being so close most of the afternoon, she felt ill knowing she even considered for a second that Raelyn had manipulated her.

“Yes, of course, I remember. I know you don’t think this was sudden but, it feels it. I’m sorry the thought crossed my mind, but you have to admit, what’s happening here is all pretty fucking nuts.”

“You mean between us or what I showed you all tonight?” Rae crossed her arms over her chest and felt the chill set into her bones. “Because yeah, I agree that what I was able to show you, was pretty fucking nuts. But this… you and me, it’s been coming since the day I walked into that god damn conference center and saw you standing by the table.”

She knew her voice was rising and stopped to take a breath and calm down. Rae’s tongue darted across her lips and she did her best to push back the tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She opened and closed her mouth several times to try and continue what she wanted to say, but words failed her.

“Raelyn, I’m sorry. I should never have suggested it,” Liv pleaded and realized how deeply she’d hurt her.

“It’s fine, Liv. I get it, I guess. I suppose I can’t say I wouldn’t have questioned it,” Rae said coldly and shrugged. She pulled her arms closer to herself and drew in a deep breath of the mountain air. “I, uh, I’m gonna go to bed.”

“Wait, just… wait. Let’s go up together and talk—”

“I’d rather not. Not tonight anyway,” Rae turned and headed for inside. 

Liv grabbed her arm, forcing Rae to stop, but she never turned around to face her.

“Rae, please,” Liv pleaded, desperate for Rae to look at her.

“Liv, I just want to go to sleep, ok? I’m tired and drunk, and sad. Just let me sleep it off? We’ll talk in the morning. Goodnight.” Rae shrugged Liv’s hand from her arm and continued inside without another word.

Liv sighed and turned her face up to the sky. Exhaling a deep breath, she noticed how bright the stars were and thought about the thousands of soft green lights that had gone swirling up into the night. The magic in that moment had been like nothing she ever experienced.

That’s not true her subconscious spoke up. That’s not true and you know it. You felt that same feeling when you saw her at the airport again.

Olivia absently walked back to the lounge and laid down, balling up one of the towels and placing it under her head. Taking in the millions of twinkling lights above, she realized that there was one sliding across the horizon at slow and steady pace.

Her rational mind knew that it was probably just a passing asteroid masquerading as a shooting star. Olivia didn’t care and made a wish anyway, just as she always did as a kid.

“Please, let her realize how stupid I was in even suggesting what I did,” Liv whispered to herself as she set her wish on the passing genie in the sky. “Please… I need her. I need to know what this is really between us because I can’t go home until I do.”

Liv closed her eyes, and despite the chill in the air, she found herself slipping off to sleep and conjuring dreams of being in bed with Raelyn, warm and loved just as she had been the night before.

 

Meg knocked softly but didn’t wait for Vaughn to invite her in. Pushing the door open, Meg saw her friend already laying in bed, but the sound of the door caused her to sit upright.

“You alright?” Vaughn asked, smiling at the raven-haired beauty. “Come, lay down.”

Vaughn pulled back the covers and once she closed the door, Meg jumped beneath, allowing the soft cotton to swallow her as she nestled into Vaughn.

“I’m worried about you. Just wanted to see if you were okay.”

“I’m fine, love. Why do you worry about me so much?” Vaughn asked as she left a soft kiss on the top of Meg’s head before brushing her hair back away from her face. “I’m just in awe.”

“Someone has to worry about you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re just one of those people that need to be cared for. I know Allen isn’t doing it properly, so it falls to me. A job I am happy to accept, by the way.” Meg smiled and playfully pinched Vaughn’s side near her ribs.

“What would I do without you, my warrior princess in shining armor?” Vaughn teased, earning her another pinch from Meg.

“I’m serious. I’m worried that you think there is more to this trick than meets the eye. And I am worried about you in general. We haven’t had much chance to chat alone since we got here. While I love those two down there to pieces, you and I have our own thing.”

Pushing herself up from the bed, she wrapped the comforter around her shoulders and turned to Vaughn. “The last time we talked before coming here, you said something about Allen, and I know it wasn’t that he finally set a wedding date.”

Rolling onto her back, Vaughn let her head sink into the pillows behind her. A sigh of frustration burned through her lips and she finally turned to look at Meg.

“I caught him, again,” she admitted and was slightly surprised when no tears accompanied the confession. In fact, there was little emotion behind it at all.

“Again?”

“Mhm. Again. Second time in as many months. He swears it meant nothing. But this last girl… Megan, I found out she was only eighteen. I know its technically legal, but still. He’s in his fifties!”

“Yeah, about that. WHY are you with him, again? I mean, you are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. There has got to be someone better made for you babe. Seriously. Allen is the fucking worst and if he’s cheated on you twice, that you know of, he’s going to keep doing it.”

Running a hand over her face, she couldn’t help but laugh. “I can’t leave him, Meg. Whether it’s a real marriage or just one for show, I can’t. Everything I have is because of him. Everything. If I want to continue my work and what I do—”

“Bullshit!” Meg scolded a little louder than she had planned. “Such bullshit. You know damn well that you could have this career on your own. He may have gotten you in the door, but you made a name for yourself. Not Allen. Hell, you made it despite him.”

“Megan, I love you endlessly for what you are saying, but the truth is, Allen is responsible. I would never have the job I have with the magazine if it wasn’t for him. His clubs bring in the biggest bands and DJs, and then I get to photograph and write about them… for Rolling Stone of all places.”

Shaking her head, Meg cleared her throat and used her hands in a shushing gesture.

“No, you got that job. He can make all the calls he wants, V. You earned it. Besides, even if he did. If you left him, what are they going to do, fire you?”

“No, of course not. But—”

“Stop making excuses,” Megan took Vaughn’s hand in hers and held them together on her chest directly over her heart. “He doesn’t love you the way he should. You deserve more. You deserve someone who sees the sunrise and set in your eyes. Not some middle-aged douchebag who screws barely legal teens in his office.”

Vaughn laughed and when she felt the emotion finally start to swell in her throat, she waved off Megan and tried to take a few deep breaths.

“No, stop now, please. I don’t want to cry. This weekend has been so amazing, and I don’t want to ruin it any further with talk of that man.”

“Ok, fair enough. But…” Meg paused and seemed thoughtful for a moment. Vaughn picked up on the slight change in her expression and felt a sudden rush of anxiety and exhilaration.

“But?”

“But what if you could get rid of him?” Meg raised one suggestive brow. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper, her hand still entwined with Vaughn’s. “What if… we could make him disappear?”

“Megan!” Vaughn exclaimed and pulled back a little, “you are not suggesting we kill him!”

“No, NO! Of course not. But, hey, there’s a magic typewriter downstairs, remember? What if we just write him an exit stage right, but leaves all his shit behind for you?”

“Meg… what you’re suggesting…”

“Yeah?” Meg snorted a laugh and ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m not saying to write him out in a coffin V, I’m saying, maybe he gets locked up for an underage girl, or tax evasion or…”

“Or, he meets a girl and runs off, leaving me…” Vaughn suggested with a shrug and caught Meg’s approving gaze. “That may not be so terrible.”

“Then maybe we should talk to Rae about making that happen.”

image  
Originally posted by missnothingquotes

 

Rae heard the Jeep spring to life just after eight the following morning. Waking up in her bed alone, she remembered the night before and fell back into the pillows. She didn’t want to think about the conversation with Liv, and how badly it hurt her feelings. Though in the harsh light of day, she really couldn’t deny that it was a possibility. The typewriter was a huge reveal, and without a valid explanation or proper backstory, she knew that their imaginations would be running wild. They were all writers, after all.

Sighing to herself, Rae tossed the covers from her bare legs and adjusted her breasts within the small tank top she slept in. Stretching, she looked down and noticed a small white piece of paper on the hardwood near the bedroom door. Unfolding it, she saw it was from Vaughn.

Meg & I stole your ride to head into town. Be back in a couple hours!

–V

Chucking to herself, Rae started to imagine the kind of trouble the two of them could be getting into while in town. Meg and Vaughn were their own contained forces of nature, but together, they were a damn storm. Rae pitied anyone who stood in their path.

Shuffling off to the shower, Rae left the water run so it would be near scolding as she stepped into it. Discarding her tank top and underwear, she slipped into the cascading heat of the shower and lifted her face to the water.

The sting of the temperature felt glorious on her skin as she stood motionless, just allowing it to fall across her body. Rae let her now soaking wet hair fall down on her face as she rested her palms against the tiles and hung her head. She couldn’t get Olivia’s face from her mind, and not the way she usually pictured it. This image was from the previous night, hurt and full of accusation.

Rae blew a huff of air from her lips and never heard the bathroom door opening behind the glass shower enclosure. It wasn’t until she flipped her hair back and caught movement from the corner of her eye, did she realize she wasn’t alone.

The shower door pulled open, and Liv was standing there, completely nude. Rae swallowed thickly as she stepped into the shower without a word. Despite the hot water, a course of goosebumps erupted across her arms and stomach as Liv’s cool skin brushed against hers as she positioned herself in the shower.

“Do you want me to go?” she asked, her voice shaky as she gingerly ran a finger up Rae’s arm.

“No,” Rae responded, relishing in the woman’s touch. “I missed you last night.”

“Same,” she smiled, albeit it tentatively. “I wanted to come to see you, but…”

Rae shook her head and closed the gap between them. “I’m glad you didn’t. I just need time to take everything in.”

“I figured. What conclusions did you come to?” Liv asked as she watched her own fingers trailing up Rae’s arm towards her neck.

Rae closed her eyes, a small moan betraying her as she started to feel herself melt beneath the woman’s touch.

“That, uh… I was an ass for jumping down your throat. It was a ridiculous thing to think…”

“It was, and I’m sorry,” Liv whispered before tangling her fingers in Rae’s long soaking wet curls. “Fact is, I was shook by it all. You, the… thing. The fireflies. All of it. I was looking for an excuse.”

“You don’t have to do that with me. Besties, remember?” Rae chuckled but didn’t feel the least bit funny. She felt aroused. She felt the need to have Liv’s skin pressed against her own.

“I just don’t—”

“Livvie… shut the fuck up already,” Rae commanded and pulled the woman into her.

Raelyn’s mouth found Olivia’s and it was as if the night before, never happened. The second their lips touched, the desire to be with the other was all-encompassing. Rae savored the taste of her as their tongues merged together effortlessly.

Biting down on her lip, before releasing it with a pop, Liv freed Rae’s hair from her hands and slowly ran them down to her chest. Gently, she caressed Rae’s breast before bending down and taking her nipple into her mouth.

Rae exhaled thickly and pulled Liv’s body into hers, cradling the woman’s head as she teased and licked at the hardened nub. Liv’s other hand continued working its way down Rae’s wet flesh towards her thighs until she found the heated slick of arousal waiting for her there.

Plunging her fingers deep into Rae’s folds, she slowly massaged the already aching walls, making Rae feel nearly dizzy with lust.

“Fuck, Liv…” Rae whimpered and wrapped her arms around Olivia’s shoulders.

“Shhh…” Liv tutted as she lightly bit down on Rae’s breast, eliciting another moan of pleasure from her. “Just relax baby, let me take care of you.”

Rae closed her eyes and dropped her head back against the cool tiles of the shower wall as Liv’s mouth left her tits, and trailed wanting kisses down towards her pussy. Getting on her knees, Liv lightly ran her tongue across the top of her sex, as her fingers penetrated deep inside the brunette.

“Oh, fuck!” Rae cried as Liv worked them at a steady pace, moving her digits just so that it hit Rae in just the right spot each time. “Livvie…”

Liv’s tongue breached her folds and snaked slowly up towards Rae’s clit. When she hit the pulsating bit of flesh, Rae instinctively grabbed Olivia’s head and pushed her face deeper into her. Liv’s one free hand reaching around towards Rae’s ass and grabbing it firmly.

Olivia’s mouth took her in greedily as she smiled at Rae’s reaction. Using every aspect of her mouth, she licked and sucked the woman nearly dry, until Rae’s breathing became more and more unsteady.

“Fuck, yeah baby right there… shit!” Rae’s words fell breathless from her lips and she had an overwhelming need to have Liv even closer to her. Kicking a leg up over Liv’s shoulder, Rae gave her a better angle to devour her flesh, making Olivia smile into her cunt.

Rae bucked her hips as if her life depended on it as Liv continued fucking her with her fingers. Olivia had never been so turned on by such a simple act, but when Rae’s hands grabbed her head and pushed her deeper, she felt her own ache begin to grow.

Grazing her teeth against Rae’s clit was the last bit of incentive the woman needed for her walls to break. The sweet tasting rush of her release washed over Olivia’s mouth and she drank her in greedily.

Rae couldn’t cognitively form any words. The sensation of her orgasm rendered her speechless, panting and squirming under Olivia’s touch. She allowed Liv to lap up all she had to offer, but it was reaching a point that she physically couldn’t tolerate the woman’s continued assault on her clit.

“Liv… baby please…” Rae moaned as she removed her leg from Liv’s shoulder and pulled her back up to eye level.

Licking the rest of Rae from her lips, Liv smiled as she was pulled into a kiss. It was softer than before but still as full of need.

Rae grabbed a handful of Liv’s hair, jerking her neck back and clamping her mouth down on it hungrily. The graze of her teeth made Olivia weak, her body slightly melting into Rae’s while Rae’s other hand glided with the water running down her back until she met the soft rises of her ass.

“I want to fuck you Liv,” Rae purred in her ear. “I want you to know if I had a dick, how hard I would be for you. I want to watch you ride me until you cum… I want to see your eyes roll back and hear you say my name until you can no longer speak at all.”

“Jesus Rae…” Liv moaned, desperately needing that too. The image was forming in her mind and as bad as she wanted to feel Rae’s hands up between her legs, she also wanted to get dressed and run into town hoping that somewhere there was a store where they could purchase some essentials.

Rae nipped at Liv’s ear before running her tongue down her neck to her shoulders. She turned, so Liv was against the wall and the warm water was now falling on her head. Rae didn’t just want to just make her cum, her overwhelming need to actually fuck her was all she could think about.

Flipping her around again, this time a little rougher, Liv’s back was pressed against Rae’s breasts, her hands now the ones gripping the tiles. Rae wrapped one arm around her breasts, toying with her nipple, while her other hand found the extra bit of wetness not caused by the shower. Without warning, she plunged deep into Olivia, causing the woman to nearly scream with pleasure.

“Tell me, Rae… tell me how you want to fuck me,” Liv moaned, leaning her head back against Rae’s shoulder.

“Ask me nicely and I might,” Rae cooed as she licked the water pooling on Liv’s neck.

“Please, baby, tell me…”

“Beg.”

“Raelyn…” Liv’s breath caught as Rae shoved her fingers up inside her sharply. “Oh shit… pleeaseee, baby. I’m begging you… I need to know…”

Rae repositioned her hand so that as she was pounding her fingers into Liv, her thumb was circling against her clit, making Liv’s hips pushed back into her.

“Once we get that first pesky orgasm out of the way, I’m going to take the dick strapped onto my hips, and right after you cum I’m going to slid it up and down your pussy, until your nerves are so shot, you physically cannot take it anymore.”

Liv’s knees weakened enough that Rae gripped her across her chest tighter to hold her up.

“I’ll start you out on your knees. Grab a handful of your hair and ram that large cock right into you. Slamming you back against me until your flesh is red and raw.”

“Christ Rae… I’m gonna cum already,” Liv said, the words falling away with the pants of her breath.

“Once I fucked you properly like the bitch you are, I’m gonna flip you over, and have you ride me. But I will control you how fast or slow you move. You get that…”

“God yes… fuck!” Liv cried again and this time she couldn’t hold back. Her climax hit as Rae snaked her teeth along the back of her back, pulling her as close as possible as the woman writhed against her.

When her body finally seemed to settle, Rae slipped her hand from the warmth of Liv’s folds and turned her back around. Her face wore an exhausted, but satisfied expression, causing them both to giggle and lay their foreheads together beneath the water that was no longer so hot.

“So, I guess we’ll be heading into town today, huh?” Liv cooed as she left a soft kiss on Rae’s lips.

“If Vaughn and Meg return with the Jeep, you bet your cute ass we will,” Rae laughed and kissed her back.

“Rae… We’re ok, right?”

Rae looked at her thoughtfully and brushed a thumb against her cheek. She wasn’t sure what would come in the following days, but right in that moment, she was where she needed and wanted to be.

“Yeah, Livvie. We’re good,” Rae smiled and kissed her one more time before turning off the water and finally leaving the shower.

 

By the time Rae and Liv made their way to the kitchen, hand in hand, Vaughn and Meg were back and seated at the counter. There was a large paper bag of fresh bagels on the counter, along with a fresh pot of coffee and donuts.

“Geez, what did you guys do, rob the Dunkin Donuts?” Rae teased as she opened the bag and inhaled the heavenly smell of them.

“Fuck that place. These are real bagels. Found a great shop a town over… right out of the oven. Thought it would better than making you cook again,” Meg said with a smirk. “Figured you were, uh, busy.”

Megan threw her a wink before looking to Olivia who stood next to Vaughn, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

“Love, why did you sleep outside? I saw you out there as we were leaving this morning. Please don’t tell me you were out there all night!” Vaughn asked, toying with the ends of Liv’s hair.

Liv looked to Rae, the regret still in her eyes about the night before. “I, uh, just wanted the fresh air.”

Without thinking, Rae put down the bagel she had chosen and pulled Liv into a tight embrace. When she felt it returned, she buried her head in Liv’s neck and fought the tears that wanted to start.

“As long as we are here, you won’t spend another night outside of my bed. You hear me?”

Liv nodded into her neck and finally pulled away when she could hear Meg making a faux gaging noise.

“Ughhh, you guys make me sick,” she groaned and pulled a bagel from the bag. “Besides your sex life, we have more pressing matters to discuss.”

“Such as?” Rae asked as she wrapped her arm around Liv’s waist.

“The Typewriter. We need to have a real, frank discussion about that damn thing.”

Rae laughed nervously and noticed the look that passed between Vaughn and Meg. “What kind of discussion?”

Meg smiled in a way that made Rae feel slightly uneasy. “How exactly we are going to use it to make all of our lives better, that’s what.”


	4. A New Future

The suitcase was opened on the bed but still sat empty. For hours she’d been staring at it, knowing it should be filled with all she needed. But, she couldn’t.

Weeks had gone by, and he never did notice that her wedding ring was off. If he had, he never asked why. His blissful arrangement of ignorance was the last straw before she decided that life could be better; it had to be.

Finally lifting herself from the old, worn out mattress, Rae grabbed the clothes slowly and began to add them to the empty luggage. With each sweater or pair of socks added, she could feel the tightness in her chest constricting, cutting off the air that was already hard to locate. Her lungs weren’t getting enough, and it was making her head feel light.

The soft buzzing in her ears made her stop and sit back down on the bed. The racks of sobs that came next were unexpected but welcomed regardless. It didn’t make breathing any easier, but it did help to ease the stabbing pain she was feeling in her chest; more likely a result of her broken heart, than the restrictive nature of her lungs.

Eric would be home any minute, and she knew it had to be done before he got there. If he came home and saw the suitcase, she would have far too much to explain outside of the note she planned on leaving. That would turn into him sweet talking her to stay, just like the many times before.

She couldn’t stay. Not this time.

Once again pushing herself off the bed, she felt steadier and continued launching the remnants of her dresser into the now bursting bag. Everything she needed for the trip upstate was in there, as well as everything she needed once she left the cabin.

Looking around the room, Rae realized that nothing else belonged to her. The art on the walls, the variety of colognes and sprays on the dresser; they were all Eric’s. A townhouse that they initially rented together, had long ceased contained any signs of her taste or liking. Eric had taken it all over. His stubborn and selfish nature had taken over nearly every part of their lives; Rae was just sad it took five years for her to see it.

She rolled her neck from side to side, trying to stretch out the kinks. The stress of the last month had made it nearly impossible to sleep, and that strain alone was wearing thin on her physically. The depression slowly sank in, making everything feel difficult; from brushing her teeth, to working on her novel, everything felt trying.

Even once she made the decision to not come back after the vacation with her friends, the depression and stress stayed. It clung to her like a dark shadow, not always visible but clearly always there. For weeks she went through the motions of living and loving Eric. Rae allowed him to continue his repulsive behavior, indulging in his whims whenever he had them. It was all she could do to hide her true self away long enough to escape him.

She added the toiletries bag from the bathroom and zipped the large suitcase closed. Lifting it with a small grunt and placing it on the floor, Rae pulled up the long handle and positioned it right outside the bedroom door. A thought passed through her mind that made her initially laugh, but then want to cry again. She imagined Eric coming home and not even seeing the large black valise standing at attention outside their bedroom door; completely forgetting she was even supposed to be leaving for a vacation.

It was so close to the possibly being true, that she couldn’t help but feel the tears stinging the corners of her eyes again. The sound of his key in the deadbolt caused her to furiously swipe at her eyes; not that he would notice she’d been crying. Smoothing out her sundress and quickly checking her reflection in the dark screen of her cell phone, she felt passable enough to face him.

“Hey,” she said trying to sound energetic as she moved down the staircase towards him. “How was your day?”

“Fucking awful, how do you think?” Eric grumbled, tossing his keys and the day’s mail onto the small table in the foyer. “Clint is being an asshole, as per usual. Frank wants me to put together another dossier on the same company I did last month, because, and I quote, it wasn’t complete.”

“Well, maybe it wasn’t,” Rae spoke up, unable to resist in needling him a little.

Eric closed his eyes in frustration and when he finally turned to her, his narrow lips were pursed together; a sign he was beyond irritated with her already.

“It. Was. Complete. Raelyn. Do you really think I don’t know how to do my job?” he hissed, running a hand through his wavy, dark locks. “I swear… maybe if you had a real job yourself, you would understand.”

Rae drew in a sharp breath and had to physically bite down on her tongue to stop her mouth from having a life of its own. Without another word, Eric pushed passed her and up the stairs towards the bedroom. She waited for him to say something about the suitcase, but he didn’t. She heard the slam of the heavy wooden door and knew right then, that she was making the best choice for herself. No matter how hard the fallout would be to contend with.

Pushing her shoulders back, Rae scooped up her long brown curls and tied them effortlessly into a bun on the top of her head. She headed to the second story of what used to be her home and grabbed the handle of her luggage. Slowly rolling it down the hallway towards the stairs, she fished out the letter tucked into the outside pocket.

When she reached the first floor, she gingerly left the letter tucked beneath the keys and mail Eric had dropped when he came in. Rae heard the shower start upstairs and knew it was now or never. She slipped on her tennis shoes as she grabbed her favorite jacket off the hook by the door. Taking one last look at the place she used to call home, Raelyn opened the front door and left. Praying she would never have to step foot inside that home of despair ever again.

 

“Hey… where did you go?” Liv asked, snapping her fingers in front of Raelyn’s face.

Coming back around, she blinked a few times and her three best friends came back into focus. Vaughn’s eyes were red and puffy, while Meg sat with her arm draped around her shoulder.

“Sorry… just got lost for a moment…” Rae shook her head and refocused on what they were talking about. “So, Allen’s been cheating on you?”

Vaughn nodded slowly, eliciting a fresh batch of tears to fall. “Several times I am sure, and with very young women. I hate him for it.” Her chestnut brown eyes, though spilling tears, burned with anger.

“He’s a pig and doesn’t deserve you,” Meg snapped, leaving a light kiss on Vaughn’s temple. “You know that, right? You’re far too good for him.”

Vaughn nodded. “But I can’t leave him; it’s just not easy.”

“I know,” Rae said absently, the previous memory still fresh in her mind. “But you can do it, I promise.”

“Well,” Meg started, giving Vaughn a knowing look, “we were hoping you may be able to help us out with that.”

“Me?” Raelyn asked, pointing a finger at her own chest.

“Mhm, you,” Meg smiled with a raised brow. “I think you may be the only one that could.”

Raelyn swallowed hard, suddenly nervous that they all knew that she’d left Eric but didn’t tell them. Not sharing something that monumental with the three of them could result in conversations she just wasn’t ready to have; not with Megan Vaughn and certainly not with Livvie.

“H—How could I help?” she asked, trying to calm her tone.

“The typewriter,” Vaughn said, frankly and without hesitation. “I want to use it. I want to make him go away.”

Raelyn stared at her in disbelief. Of their group, Vaughn was the one with the biggest, most open heart. She loved with ferocity and passion. She had an enormous spirit and always cared, not just for her own loved ones, but for the humanity of mankind. Vaughn didn’t have a malicious bone living within her body; so to hear her speak of “getting rid” of her fiancé was more than a little shocking.

“I—I don’t know what to say, Vaughn. I love you to the moon, you know that… but I can’t let you do that. You… you can’t use it on people.”

Vaughn snorted a laugh, gladly accepting the tissue Meg was handing to her. “Why not?”

“It doesn’t work,” Raelyn lied. She silently prayed that they wouldn’t be able to read her falsehood written all over her face. “I’ve tried… it doesn’t work.”

“You’ve tried?” Liv asked carefully, not wanting to reignite their earlier misunderstanding about the enchanted machine.

“Years ago… just, trust me, ok? You can manipulate some things, but it seems as though the willpower of the human mind is able to reject whatever magic that thing uses.”

That wasn’t a complete lie, she thought as she studied their faces. And, it wasn’t. Willpower was a big wild card when using the swell of magic that lived within the keys. It could manipulate a person’s intentions or situations if you wrote it to be so, but with that, there was always a consequence of some kind. Most times it would be reflected against the person who sat behind the keys, but there was that one time….

Snapping back again, Rae moved to stand next to Vaughn and pulled her in for a hug. “I’m so, so sorry for what he’s done to you. He’s a disgusting, vile man and I hope that he gets what’s coming to him.”

“Let me give it to him then,” Meg murmured as she finished the rest of her coffee.

“Meg…” Liv tutted, as Meg replied to her comment with a shrug of innocence.

“What? I want my girl to be happy… and she can’t be with that snake in her life.”

“Can’t you leave him, Vaughn? You can come and stay with me you know,” Liv said, resting her elbows on the counter across from her friend, cradling her face between her palms. “I’d be happy for the company, especially with Jason gone as much as he is.”

Before Livvie realized what she had said, she saw Raelyn’s face drop and immediately regretted bringing up her own fiancé’s name. She tried to offer Rae an apologetic smile, but her blue eyes were now steadily fixed on Vaughn.

“I know, and I love you all for it,” she managed to say through a weak smile, “but I can’t just leave him. If I do, I lose it all. I’ve worked too hard for him to be spiteful and snatch away my success.”

“I told you babe, he can’t do that!” Meg said with a bit too much force. “He doesn’t deserve you!” Running her hands through her long black hair, she turned and stormed out of the kitchen and out into the fresh mountain air.

“I got her,” Liv said quietly and followed Meg to the deck.

Once the sliding glass doors were closed again, Rae settled onto the stool next to Vaughn but left her arm loosely against her shoulders.

“Love, you can leave. You don’t have to stay. He can’t have the magazine fire you…”

“Its more than that, Raelyn. If it not for Allen, I’d have nothing. I am marrying him not because he’s the love of my life, but because he can give me the life I’ve always craved. I guess… I guess I’m being selfish…”

“No, no way you could be selfish,” Rae reassured her, stroking a hand lightly down the woman’s elongated, blonde curls.

Vaughn turned her red, swollen eyes up at her friend and felt a real smile creep onto her face. “Ah, but I can. You see, since I caught him the first time, I can’t bring myself to touch him. So, of course, he will look for it elsewhere. But this one… Rae, she was so young. I feel like… I feel like he’s going to hurt someone. Or, take advantage of some young, dumb girl just looking for her big break.”

“Like he did to you?” Rae regretted the question as soon as the words left her mouth, but slowly, Vaughn began to nod.

“Yes, just like that.”

There has to be something I can do, Rae thought as the two friends sat there in relative silence. She glanced out of the glass doors to see Liv and Meg talking animatedly on the deck, half desiring to be able to hear their conversation.

Knowing she would never let Vaughn use the typewriter in the way she desired, Raelyn started to think there really could be another option. Vaughn would still have to be the one at the keys, but, if it was worded just right, Rae thought there was a chance that any of the usual consequences wouldn’t apply. After all, it wasn’t like they were trying to murder Allen… ‘A death for a death my dear,’ rang in her head; the last words her grandmother spoke before finally succumbing to her own consequences of the enchanted machine.

 

Raelyn led them all down to the bottom floor and opened the entryway to the room behind the boiler. She and Liv stood back and let the Meg and Vaughn go in first. Flipping the switch for the light, the two women absent-mindedly clasped their hands together as they approached the antique Sholes and Glidden.

Meg swallowed hard. The thickness in her throat made it hard to speak as the stream of electricity radiating from the machine reached out towards her. Running her tongue across her lips, she looked hesitantly at Vaughn, who was already entranced by it. Her brown eyes were wide with wonder, making Meg apprehensive about what they wanted to do.

“Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” she whispered to herself.

“Nonsense,” Vaughn said, breaking her gaze from the typewriter. “There’s nothing to fret about, love. We are just checking it out, right Rae?”

“Mhm,” she responded from further back in the room. “Let’s even see if it will react to you.”

Meg sighed and took another step closer, beginning to feel its pull more and more. Vaughn slid out the oversized chair and gingerly lowered herself onto it. The softness of the aged leather was cool on her skin, and the energy bellowing from the machine before her gripped her attention like nothing before.

As if under a trance, Vaughn automatically hovered her hands over the keys. It begged her to touch it. She could hear a melody in her mind that was hauntingly beautiful. An old carousel tune that was just a little off tilt. It called to her and she answered.

Meg watched Vaughn be taken over and felt a swell of sick rise in her gut. This is wrong, she thought as she watched her friend’s breathing slow, her pupils dilate, and her hands begin to shake.

Turning back towards Rae and Liv, she was clearly panicked. “What the hell is happening to her?”

“It’s normal, Meg. I watched it happen to Rae when she did the thing,” Liv said with a wave of her hand, as quietly as she could, looking past Meg and at Vaughn. “She will be alright.”

“She will,” Rae assured, hoping Megan would relax a little and not interrupt Vaugh’s experience.

“I swear, this is all some freaky-deeky shit Rae,” Meg shook her head and slowly walked back towards Vaughn.

Vaughn hadn’t moved since her hands began to hover over the keys. What seemed like hours went by, but in reality, was only a minute, before she moved again. As if waking from a trance, she lifted her head up and smiled at Megan.

Relief washed over her face upon seeing Vaughn with life in her eyes again, instead of the cold, dead stare she had while hunched over the keys. Focusing on Rae, she slowly got up from the chair and nearly floated towards her. Liv took a step back from Rae’s side as Vaughn stood directly in front of her. A small smile on her lips, a whole world of wonder swirling in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered and gingerly put her arms around Rae’s neck, pulling her in for a hug. Rae returned the gesture and knew exactly what Vaughn was experiencing. There was a euphoric feeling right after being in close contact with the machine that you couldn’t understand unless you felt it.

“Did you hear the music?” Rae mused curiously, enjoying the electricity still bouncing in Vaughn’s eyes.

“I did! It was glorious… like nothing I’ve heard before.”

“Good. That means… well, it’s good. It should respond to you with no problems.”

“What? Does it like to weed out the unpopular kids or something?” Meg quipped before receiving Rae’s look of warning.

“No, Meg. But it does only work for a select few.”

“Like, who?” Liv asked, finally venturing further into the room.

“It never worked for my mother apparently. Well, according to what my gram said. I think its why my mother got so distant as she grew up. She felt shunned by this part of the family… like she wasn’t good enough to be able to harness the Hollow magic.”

“Would it work for me?” Meg asked, her eyes now transfixed on the typewriter.

“You could try it if you like.”

Meg was beginning to feel the energy of the keys calling out to her. She had a sudden urge to sit in front of it and begin to list her wishes and desires; filling the pages with everything she ever wanted. A sudden flash of terror at the thought filled her, causing her arms to wrap around her midsection tightly. “Nah, I’m good for now.”

“So, what now then?” Vaughn asked anxiously, “how do we go about this?”

“First, we have to figure out something you can type out that won’t actually harm him, but that will produce the results you want. It’s all about how you word it.”

“Oh, so it’s like writing smut?” Meg asked, half mockingly, half serious. “I mean, you write something about sex, right… if you word it one way, it’s a beautiful moment between two people. You write it another way and boom… you have fifty shades of shit.”

Rae laughed heartily and nodded her head, “Yeah, something like that.”

“Ok, easy… I mean we are four fucking writers, are we not? Let’s write my woman a new life then, shall we?”

 

Sitting on the deck, enjoying the bright sunshine and cool breeze off the lake, the four women sat huddled around the table near the chaise longue; conspiring on how to rid Vaughn of her own two hundred pounds of baggage.

Raelyn was intolerable as she continued to negate any suggestions made, solely in fear of what repercussions Vaughn may experience. After several hours Meg stood up and threw the pen into the lake, storming off towards the end of the dock. This time it was Vaughn who went to retrieve her, trying to calm the feisty woman down long enough to rejoin the group to try again.

Liv watched Vaughn slowly stroll towards Meg as she got up and changed seats, taking the open one right next to Rae. As Liv’s knee brushed against hers, Rae looked up and gave the woman a sorry smile.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this weekend to turn out this way.”

“It’s fine, Rae. You’re just being cautious, right? It’s just…”

“What?”

“I don’t understand why. I mean, if you say you can’t use it on people directly, why couldn’t she use any of these scenarios we’ve come up with? Any of those would cause Allen to leave her, but allow her to keep what she has, including the clubs, the contracts, the money…” Liv shrugged and through her expression begged Rae to provide the answers.

“Because,” Rae shrugged, feeling sick at the notion that Liv couldn’t just leave it alone. Getting up from her seat on the lounge, Rae rolled her neck from side to side, a patented sign of growing stress.

Liv stood up and came up behind her, lightly brushing against the back of her neck before gingerly trailing her nails across her skin, settling on her shoulders. Gently kneading her fingers into the building tension of Rae’s neck, Liv sighed, closing her eyes tight at the words that were about to leave her mouth.

“Rae, are we going to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?”

“Whoever it was that you used the typewriter on… and what happened because of it?”

Rae’s shoulder’s stiffened more, but she didn’t even try to deny that she’d been called out on her lie. “Not now,” was all she could manage.

Liv stopped massaging her shoulders and turned the woman to face her. “She needs to know what she’s getting into… you need to tell her.”

“I know,” Rae tried to smile, but it just faded into a frown just as the first tears spilled from her eyes. “But it just leads to more conversations and more… and I am not up for that right now.”

“Why?”

“Please, Liv. Just… can we put it to rest for right now?”

“Ok, but just for now. Look, I know we only have a few days left, and the last thing you want to do is drudge up all this shit about your past. But… it will all be ok, I promise.”

Liv lovingly cupped Rae’s face and lifted it up to her own. “And, if you do end up feeling sad, I promise to try and make you feel better.”

Bending down and placing a soft kiss on her lips, Rae smiled against it; a feeling of familiar warmth flooding her veins.

“Oh, you do, huh?” Rae teased when she finally pulled away, biting on her lower lip. “The shower wasn’t enough?”

“It’s never enough with you,” Liv purred and pulled Rae closer.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Meg chided as she and Vaughn rejoined them, “I swear, I wasn’t gone two whole minutes and you two are ready to fuck…”

“You’re just jealous baby,” Liv cooed with a teasing smile and winked at her friend.

Meg narrowed her eyes and gave her a mocking smile while flipping her off as she threw herself back onto the lounge. Trying to get the playfulness back in her friend’s eyes, Live went over and placed herself right in Megan’s lap, wrapped her arm around her shoulder and left a large, loud, sloppy kiss on her cheek; causing Vaughn and Rae to burst out into laughter.

Meg rolled her eyes in feigned annoyance. “Bitch, please… name the time and the place and I’ll make you forget that one’s name.” She motioned towards Rae with a wink.

“Ok, enough, you horny fucks… can we please figure out how to make this man walk away and leave everything behind for me?” Vaughn asked, laughter still accompanying her words, but her expression had turned serious. “The more I think about it, the more I know I need to do this. I can’t be with a man like him anymore.”

“Good,” Meg said as she forced Liv from her lap by reaching forward to pick up the pad. “Shit, now we just need a new pen.”

 

Vaughn was once again hovered over the keys. She had memorized the lines it had taken them hours to concoct and waited until the energy had entranced her again. The moment it did, the three women stood near the doorway and watched.

Hunched over the keys, her flaxen curls obscured her face, for which Megan was secretly grateful for. It painted her beyond explanation to see this woman she loved so much in any kind of pain, but especially how she appeared when taken in by the machine.

The clacking sound of the keys against the paper caused Liv to jump a little, nudging herself deeper into Raelyn’s side. The two women had their hands clasped tightly together as the words dictating Allen’s future were laid out across the aged parchment. Meg stood a few steps ahead of them, her arms wrapped tightly around her small frame. Liv and Rae noticed she was shaking, though her skin was warm to the touch.

Stepping up and embracing either side of her, Liv, Rae, and Meg watched as Vaughn continued working until it was done. Lines of type splattered across the page that was supposed to help her keep a life she deserved but sans the man who handed it to her.

When it was finally done. Vaughn felt the grip of the magic release her, then watched as the words immediately faded away. Once the final letter had erased itself, she heard the last few notes of the eerie carousel music in her ears before they settled on how quiet the room really was.

Meg released the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding once Vaughn was able to stand up and take a few steps towards them.

“Well? How do you feel?” Meg asked desperately, reaching out to grab Vaughn’s hand. “Are you ok? Did you type it just as we wrote it?”

Vaughn simply nodded, her stoned expression never wavering.

“He’ll be getting the phone call anytime now. I can feel it,” her voice was barely above a whisper. “He’ll believe the inheritance is real, and walk away from me, the clubs, the business… all of it.”

“You’re sure?” Meg continued with her questions despite the nudge in the back from Liv. “He’s really going to buy it?”

“Meg, give her a minute. The first time you actually use it, the affects last longer than you’d think.”

“How long?”

“At least until tomorrow. The best thing for her now is sleep,” Rae said, taking Vaughn’s free hand in her own. “C’mon sweetheart, let’s get you upstairs so you can dream about the new life that awaits you.”

“Yes, I would like that,” Vaughn mused as she nearly floated towards the door, her hands slipping free of Meg and Rae’s grips. When she reached the entryway door, she turned to Rae and though she wore a smile, the words that came next left the hairs standing on Rae’s neck.

“Lily knows why… a death for a death, right?”

Rae’s breath was suddenly lost. The mention of her grandmother’s old friend and the exact words she had heard the woman utter on her deathbed frozen her in place. Meg gave her an odd look before catching up with Vaughn to help her upstairs. Once the two women had left the basement, Liv turned to Rae only to gasp softly at what she saw.

Rae had gone completely pale, her mouth slightly open in shock and her eyes brimming with tears.

“Baby, talk to me!” Liv pleaded, lightly shaking the woman’s shoulders. “Raelyn! Are you ok? What the hell did that mean?!”

“I fucked up…” she whispered, a new kind of horror filling her everywhere.

The words left her mouth and fell heavily to the floor. She knew then, no matter how carefully they had tried to word Allen’s fate, that someone would pay the price for it.


	5. Secrets

The sun was dipping into the far side of the lake by the time Liv was able to coax Rae to go sit on the deck. The air was still warm from the day, as was the breeze that trickled in off the water. As they passed through the kitchen, Liv grabbed the bottle of whiskey that had been sitting on the counter, as well as two tumblers, before finally resting back on the chaise.

They sat silently as Liv worked on opening the bottle and pouring two double shots before handing Rae hers. Liv thought the blank expression Rae wore now, was better than the one of fear she had after Vaughn’s cryptic message.

“Rae?”

“Hm?”

“You alright?”

“No,” her voice was quiet, yet still clear over the growing hum of crickets that the impending dusk brought to life.

“What can I do?”

“Nothing.”

Rae sat forward and took the glass from Liv’s hand, downing the brown liquor quickly. Resting her glass back down, she leaned all the way back and slouched down as far as she could go without falling off.

“I’m so stupid, Liv. Why did I let her do that?”

“You need to give me more than that, I honestly don’t know what’s going on. You won’t talk to me…”

Rae sat quickly, her expression quickly shifting to anger; but not anger towards Liv, only at herself.

“Because! You think this is easy? This secret… that damn woman—”

“Your grandmother?”

“Yes! She left me with this burden. She told me it was mine to watch over, to use as I see fit! But every time… every fucking time… it backfires! Why? Why would she leave me with something cursed?!”

Rae sat up and buried her face in her hands. She felt like she could cry, like she should be crying, but when she lifted her face back to the cool evening air, her cheeks were dry. Inside she felt a hollowness so deeply laced with guilt at what she let Vaughn do, regardless of every ounce of intuition screaming at her not to. Rae couldn’t fathom a way to try and fix whatever was going to break because of Vaughn’s new future for Allen.

Liv poured another shot and held it out to her. Rae considered refusing it, but she knew her nerves could use the assist. Reaching for the tumbler, Liv held onto it for a moment too long just so her fingers could linger against Rae’s before letting go.

“Please tell me what happened Raelyn. Please.”

Slowly ingesting the whiskey this time, Rae licked the taste of it from her bottom lip and sat back in the chair. Studying Liv’s face for a moment, she smiled hesitantly and began her admission.

“I used it, once, to try and make someone fall in love with me over someone else. It backfired.”

“How?”

“Well, he turned his attention to me and the girl literally disappeared. Like, without a trace.”

Liv sat back and drew in a deep breath. “How… I mean… what did you write?”

“Meri disappears to find someone better to love,” Rae responded softly, her gaze lowered, and her shoulders slouched. The memory was heavy on her back and the old sick feeling was starting to return.

“No one ever heard from her again?”

“Not that I know of. Her grandmother—”

“Shit. She was that old lady from the shop, wasn’t she?”

“Mhm, Lily. She knew about it, the typewriter I mean. She assumed my grandmother had done it. But, it was me. My gran tried to make it right somehow, but she never came back and was never found as far as I know.”

“And, the guy? The one you wanted to fall in love with you?”

“Eric,” Rae said, finally meeting Liv’s eyes again. “It was Eric. After that summer, he was always just sort of in my life, then he wasn’t. Then he would come back again until he asked me to marry him after he graduated college.”

“Oh my god Rae…” Liv stood and paced around the deck.

Rae couldn’t read her or what she could possibly be feeling. The panic grew with every step Liv took back and forth until she finally came to a stop.

“This is why you reacted the way you did yesterday. Makes perfect sense now,” Liv slowly walked back to the lounge and sat as close as she could to Rae. “I wish you would’ve told me all this. And Eric… of all things. He’s part of this? That fucking asshole…”

Rae couldn’t help but smile, though the guilt of everything still sat heavy on her heart. “Well, with that comment, I imagine you’ll be happy to know that I’ve left him. For good.”

Liv froze, her mouth slightly open, her blue eyes wide and glistening in the light of the evening dusk. “You what?”

“When I left for the trip, I left him. I left home. I’m… I’m not going back to Boston.”

“I don’t even know what to say. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It didn’t feel important to share until now. And, to be honest, I didn’t want you to know right away. Not until… I knew.”

“Knew what?”

Rae was quiet, trying to find the right words. Without really thinking, she leaned forward and poured them each another shot of the whiskey, drinking hers quickly before adding a double shot to the glass again.

“You better slow down there, killer,” Liv teased as Rae took a sip before resting it back down on the table. “Now, answer my question. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I wanted to know if this was something first,” Rae’s voice was barely above a whisper, but Liv heard everything she had said.

“I guess you got your answer.” Liv’s face didn’t change, but she reached out for Rae’s hand and took it, squeezing it gently. “I still wish you told me. We are supposed to be able to tell each other everything. I feel like since we’ve gotten here, its just one surprise after the next. Sort of makes me feel like I don’t really know you.”

Rae closed her eyes as the tears were finally starting to sting at the corners. Liv was right, she had been withholding and that wasn’t fair. Their friendship was paramount, and she was putting in jeopardy but not telling her everything as she had always claimed. Though she felt some of it was justified regarding the enchanted machine in the basement, but not telling her about Eric wasn’t right.

“I’m sorry Livvie, you’re right. I should have told you about Eric. I was scared to tell anyone of you. I didn’t want it to be the dominating topic of the weekend, nor did I want to explain why I stayed as long as I did.”

“You wanna tell me now?”

“Do I have to?” Rae asked as she wiped the tear from her cheek. “Honestly, I’d rather not talk about him. I’ve spent enough time I have with you, talking about Eric. Besides, I’m supposed to be thinking about Vaughn and this mess I’ve gotten her in.”

“Hold on a sec. Vaughn wanted this. She asked you to do this… to help her do this. It’s not on you. As for Eric, we don’t have to talk about him. However, I would like to say this one thing and then we can move on.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m really fucking glad he’s out of your life,” Liv squeezed Rae’s hand again and smiled at her. “Really, really glad Raelyn.”

Rae picked up her glass, as did Liv and they clinked lightly before polishing off the last of the whiskey in their respective tumblers. A silence fell between them, regardless of the heavy nature of their conversations, was still easy and comforting.

Leaning back against the cushion of the lounge, Rae lifted her head to the stars that were just starting to emerge when she felt Liv’s head rest against her shoulder. Tucking an arm around the woman’s shoulder, Rae pulled her closer and Liv didn’t object.

She turned her face into Liv’s hair and drew in a deep breath of her shampoo, making her think back to earlier that morning in the shower. The memory caused an instant flash of heat to grow between her thighs.

Despite the warmth of the whiskey running through her veins, her skin was rapidly breaking out into goosebumps, made even more severe by the cool breeze that was coming in off the lake. Rae felt Liv shiver and pulled back just enough to see her face.

“Do you want to go inside? I know Vaughn and Meg have turned in, but we can go throw on a movie or something.”

“Are you sure? I just want to be sure you’re alright. I don’t want you to carry all this with Vaughn and Eric… if you wanna stay out here and talk—”

“No, there’s nothing to do about either right now anyway. We can only wait to see what tomorrow brings,” Rae shrugged, still filled with guilt and worry, but in that moment all she could think about was being with Liv.

Standing, the whiskey had hit them harder than they thought and braced against each other for support. Giggling, Liv grabbed the bottle while Rae used the hand not gripping Liv’s arm to gather the two glasses.

Doing their best to quietly get into the house, they stumbled inside and headed straight for the great room they all sat around the first night at the house. Crashing into the couch, they placed the bottle and glasses on the table and Liv grabbed the remote to turn on the television.

“Ok, movies… pick one,” Liv commanded as she did her best to figure out how to get to the movie collection stored online.

“Oh no… that’s on you … we can watch whatever you like,” Rae laughed as brought her legs up extended down the long end of the sectional.

Liv leaned her head back, so it rested on the pillow against Rae’s hip. Rae’s arm fell over her, her hand coming to rest on her chest. Liv felt her hand gently brush against the side of her breast, eliciting a sharply inhaled breath that Rae either didn’t hear or didn’t acknowledge. Casually looking up at her, Liv saw Rae was transfixed on the television oblivious to how close her hand was.

Not that it mattered. They’ve been together several times now and were well versed in touching each other. But there had yet to be a time where they were completely alone outside of the bedroom. Where they could really just be together and do something, normal couples would.

But were they a couple? ‘No, not really,’ Liv’s brain responded incredulously, ‘you’re engaged to Jason, and she’s just left her husband. You are not a couple. You’re friends… with benefits.’

Shaking the thought from her whiskey-soaked brain, Liv covered Rae’s with hers and tangled their fingers together. Looking up at Rae’s face, Liv liked the small smile she saw there, even though her gaze was still fixed on the television.

Picking up the remote, Liv maneuvered through the films and stopped on De-Lovely. “You know, I’ve never actually seen this.”

“Seriously? How is that possible? Put it on, it’s fabulous. I mean… Cole Porter, how can you go wrong?”

Without hesitation, Liv hit play and the movie rolled on. The scene began in Paris, Cole was singing Easy to Love to from an unmanned piano in a small café. Rae was humming along, terribly out of tune, but Liv liked it. She could feel the vibration of her voice while resting against her. Sitting herself up on the couch, she looked at Rae and was struck by how beautiful she looked sitting there. Her cheeks still flushed from the whiskey, her blue eyes sparkling as she watched the film, swept up in the music.

Liv watched her instead of the screen. When it faded out to the next act, Rae’s gaze broke away from the movie and noticed Liv was no longer resting against her.

“You alright?” she asked, her face soft and full of drunken contentment.

“Mhm,” was all Liv said as she moved the pillow and slowly climbed over Rae, straddling her lap.

Liv ran a featherlight touch through Rae’s hair; something she knew the woman liked, a lot. Rae closed her eyes and relished the sensation of it, her hands involuntarily gripping onto Liv’s hips.

Resting on the back of Rae’s neck, Liv gently grasped her hair and edged her head backward so her face was looking up at her. Rae’s eyes fluttered open to Liv’s mouth a whisper away from her own. As badly as she wanted the woman to kiss her, the shared intensity of their gaze was turning into a foreplay all on its own. It was almost as if they were playing sexual chicken, daring the other to give in first.

The movie played on, and after a few more scenes, another song began to play. Liv ever-so-slightly moved her torso to the melody; her hips grinding down further into Rae’s legs and her fingers into Liv’s waist.

Rae watched Liv tease her with the fluidity of her body. She loved how her hair fell over one shoulder, and how it accented the length of her neck. Liv hovered over her like an angel but moved on her like the devil; Rae was reaching her breaking point.

Wrapping her arms up against her back, Rae pushed Liv down into her, their lips crashing together as they fell back on the couch, now completely oblivious to the movie. They stayed like that, making out like two teenagers, hungry and anxious to feel the other.

Trailing soft, lingering kisses from her mouth, down her chin to her neck, Rae reached the soft swell of her breasts.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Rae breathed in a heated whisper.

Gingerly, Rae pulled down the scoop of Liv’s shirt, exposing more of her flesh. Rae kissed her right where the lace of her bra met the skin and smiled when she saw the goosebumps ripple across her ivory palate. Rae continued kissing her breast across the sheer satin of the cup; with each one, Liv rolling her body deeper into Rae.

“God… Rae…” Liv purred at the sensation of Rae’s hot breath and teeth against her nipple through the fabric of her bra. Liv wanted to just rip her clothes off and fuck her madly right there on the couch, but Rae was teasing, taking her time… driving Liv mad.

“Something wrong?” Rae teased her before running her tongue back up her chest to her neck.

“N—No,” Liv stuttered, just as Rae’s teeth and lips found the soft spot where her neck met her collarbone.

“You sure? Cause I can stop—”

“The fuck you will,” Liv breathed and pulled on Rae’s hair again. “Don’t you even fucking think about it.” Liv laughed, but there was nothing funny about her expression

“Oh, really? And if I did?”

Rae liked this game; she liked Liv trying to assert control over her. Rae had dreamt about it more than a few times. All the talk in the shower that morning, and now this, it was fulfilling her in a way that she never had been filled in her life. 

“You wanna go down that road? Cause I gotta tell you, I am just itching to punish you for something,” Liv’s expression had an edge to it, that made Rae’s whole-body flex with excitement.

“Well now, something tells me we should probably take upstairs,” Rae said softly and bit down on her lower lip as she gazed up at Liv, allowing her hands to venture from her hips to her thighs; pushing the cotton shorts all the way up and exposing the lining of her panties.

Liv slowly shook her head and bent down to kiss her again, but a noise from behind them caught their attention.

“Jesus… the two of you are ridiculous,” Meg said as she pulled her bathrobe closer around her waist. “Do you even talk anymore or just fuck?”

“It’s an even balance,” Liv said playfully and turned back to Rae.

Gently climbing off Rae’s lap, Liv mouthed I’m sorry before sitting on the edge of the couch next to her. “Vaughn, ok?”

“Yeah, she’s asleep. I heard the television on, so I thought I’d check on you guys. I knew it was a gamble whether you’d still be clothed or not…”

“Guess you won,” Rae teased, but when Meg’s expression didn’t change, she patted the couch next to her. “Wanna sit and chat?”

“Actually, I was kind of hoping I could talk to you… alone. Sorry, Liv.”

“Its no problem. I’m getting pretty tired anyway,” Liv stood up and gave Rae a little wink. “See you in the morning?”

Rae felt a wave of disappointment crash into her at the thought of not being able to finish what they had started and raised a questioning brow at her. “Morning?”

Liv didn’t respond but instead turned and walked towards the staircase. She left a small kiss on Meg’s cheek as she rounded the corner and paused before going up. “Yeah, right… like I could wait. Wake me when you’re done.”

Once Liv had gone, Meg took the spot on the couch near Rae as she crossed her legs and tucked her feet beneath her.

“What’s up?”

“What’s up? Really? After what happened tonight, you ask me what’s up?” Meg’s tone had an edge to it that made Rae begin to feel uncomfortable and nervous.

“Is she really alright?”

“You tell me. You’re the only one here that’s done this before.”

“True, and I’m still here. I’m alright,” Rae swallowed thickly and knew that Meg would require more than that if she was to be satisfied.

Meg sighed and leaned back against the couch. She rubbed a hand over her eyes and stifled a yawn. “I’m so tired, Rae. I’m exhausted all the time. I thought this little retreat was going to help, but honestly, I feel even more tired than before.”

“I’m sorry Meg. I never wanted it to happen this way. Maybe I shouldn’t have—”

“No, stop. It’s not because of that. Truth is, I didn’t want to talk about Vaughn. What’s done is done, right? I may have suggested it to her, but she wanted to do it. She chose too, and I have to hope that whatever we set into motion will all turn out ok.”

“And we will all be there to help with whatever fallout occurs, ok? Liv and I both…”

“You and Liv… about that… what’s going on there, anyway? Is this like an experiment or what? I mean, you’re married, right? And she’s engaged, yet, y’all been sleeping together since the first day we got here.”

Rae could feel her face flush with embarrassment at Meg’s interrogative questions. She didn’t mind answering her friend, but the problem was, she had no answers.

“I don’t know, Meg. I know that she’s my best friend—”

Meg raised one thin brow nearly to her hairline at that comment, causing Rae to chuckled and quickly backpedal.

“ONE of my best friends,” she paused and didn’t continue until Meg nodded in approval, “… and yeah, I’m attracted to her. I have been since we all met last year.”

“I’m just surprised I guess. Vaughn, too. I knew things weren’t great at home for you, but I didn’t know that boobs were something you were into.”

“Oh yeah, long time boob lover here,” Rae said, sitting up straighter and raising her fingers in a mock boy scout salute.

Rolling her eyes Meg shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Rae could sense there was much behind her wanting to talk, but she was going to let Meg get to whatever it was in her own time.

“Do you love her?” Meg asked quietly, tucking a strand of her long black hair behind her ear. Her quizzical, yet somewhat serious expression gave Rae a moment of pause before she could really consider an answer.

“Well, yeah, of course. I love all of you.”

“Not what I meant, and you know it.”

“I know.”

“So, answer the question Raelyn. Do you love her? Are you in love with her?”

“I don’t know… ok?”

“Fair enough, as long as you are being honest with yourself. You guys can have all the fun you want, but you have to remember there are two other people out there who will be affected by what you do here.”

“One… one other person.”

Rae couldn’t help but chuckle at Meg’s mixed reaction of shock and intrigue. Luckily, she easily deduced that Eric was the one now left out of the equation, as a small smile began to grow on her lips.

“Finally kicked the fucker to the curb, did ya?”

“Something like that.”

“Good. I never liked him. When you guys stopped in New Orleans last year and we got together… Man, I wanted to kick him straight in the nuts. What a dickhead.”

“I wish you had…” Rae laughed, imagining how funny it would have been for this tiny woman to kick Eric square in his groin.

“And, for what its worth, I hope that whatever this is with you and Liv, works out. I bust your balls, but y’all are cute as fuck, and I’m rooting for you.”

Meg reached out and grabbed Liv’s hand, giving it a light squeeze, but not letting it go. Rae knew she was working up to her real reasons for coming to talk, and she assumed Meg was the next one to ask to use the typewriter.

Another silent minute passed, and Rae realized she was going to have to help her friend along.

“Meg, what do you want to use it for?”

Meg’s head snapped up and found Rae’s gaze, soft and non-judgmental.

“How’d you know?”

“Really?” Rae snorted a laugh. “Come on…”

“Alright, yeah, fine. I wanna use the stupid thing.”

“Even after seeing Vaughn use it? Knowing that there could be consequences?”

“Even so.”

“Alright Megan, why? I know you and baby daddy aren’t together anymore. Just raising the munchkin together, right?”

She quietly nodded.

“So, spill,” Rae continued. When Meg stayed silent, she returned Meg’s earlier gesture and gave her hand a squeeze. “Whatever it is, we can keep it between us if you’d rather.”

“You’d do that?” Meg’s voice was soft and hopeful. “I’m just not ready to get into a big discussion about it with everyone. I really can’t even give you all the details, not just yet. Is that ok?”

“Megan, you can talk or not talk. It’s up to you, but we all love you, and if its something we can help with, let us. Let me.”

“I need money, Rae. Lots of money.”

Meg cast her eyes to the floor, unable to look Rae in the eyes. She had hoped to feel some relief upon getting the words out, but only a slight weight felt lifted. Getting into the details would not only be dangerous for Rae, but Meg knew that no matter how much the woman promised no judgment, there would be some; the worst part being, she knew she deserved it.

“Why Megan?”

The concern in Rae’s voice made her feel even more guilty for not elaborating. None of these women were independently wealthy, and even if Vaughn did come into Allen’s holdings, there was no way Meg would let her get involved. She wouldn’t ask them to help her, and all the other avenues she tried hit dead ends; the appearance of Rae’s secret could be a way to fix it all. 

Besides, this was all Meg’s responsibility, and she was determined to find a way to make it happen.

“I can’t get into all the details Rae, I’m sorry. Just trust me that it’s for your own good, ok? But, if there’s a way without anyone getting hurt… would it work? Could that thing downstairs help me come into enough money?”

Rae was speechless. Hearing about Vaughn’s reasons for wanting to use the typewriter was one thing, but this cryptic need for money from Megan had her more than a little concerned. She searched her memory quickly for any times her grandmother used it for financial gain and came up empty.

“Honestly Meg, I don’t know. I assume it would work. But how and how much? An inheritance? A lottery ticket?”

“A lottery ticket! That could work, right? I could write something like, Megan used her last dollar to play the Mega Ball Millions and is the only winner of that week’s Jackpot. Couldn’t that work?”

She was nearly desperate now, and Rae was concerned by the near wild look growing in her friend’s hazel eyes. “Please, Raelyn. If you think it would work, I need to try.”

Feeling nearly sober now, Rae looked longingly at the bottle of whiskey on the table and considered taking another shot. But if Meg really wanted to go down to the basement, reigniting her drunken state may not be the best choice.

“Alright look, I am not going to say no, don’t do it. I don’t know how it will play out, and if you are using it solely on the lottery, and not involving another person, I can’t really see a reason not to try. But you have to be specific, Megan. Make sure you know exactly what lotto you’re going to play, and when. Don’t leave anything to chance or up to cosmic interpretation.”

Meg’s face brightened, a wide grin rolling across her face. “Really?”

“Yeah, go for it. I wish you’d tell me what was going on, but I am not going to force you to. As long as you know, we are here for you. Always.”

“I know. I love you guys for it. I am sure one day when it’s all safely behind me, I’ll tell you, and I’ll tell them about all this. But for now, our secret, ok? Hell, maybe at next year’s retreat we’ll all have a good laugh about it.”

“Oh, is this an annual thing?”

“You bet your fucking ass it is,” Meg said and pulled Rae into her for a hug. “Thank you for this.”

“Don’t thank me, love. Just make sure you’re ready to do this.”

 

Meg was ready. Rae led her down into the basement and agreed to let Meg have privacy in the room while altering her script. Standing outside the doorway for what felt like an eternity, Rae heard the familiar clicking of the typewriter begin slowly at first. Within the first few words, Meg must have picked up her pace and when it finally stopped. Rae could hear a moan of pleasure escape Meg’s lips as she pushed herself up from the chair.

Rae peaked inside and saw her standing near the table, staring absently ahead with the same dreamy expression on her face as Vaughn wore after her encounter.

“Hey,” she said as Rae approached her. “That was…”

“Was…?”

“Magical,” Meg slowly licked her lip and giggled. She felt drunk and yet blissfully happy; as if all the fear and desperation that had been living inside her for months was already all gone.

Rae snorted a laugh and put an arm around Meg’s waist to help her up to the main floor. She wasn’t nearly as transfixed as Vaughn had been, so it didn’t take much effort for Rae to get Meg upstairs and tucked into bed next to a peacefully sleeping Vaughn.

Once she closed the bedroom, she leaned back against it and squeezed her eyes shut. The week certainly wasn’t going as she imagined it. Even in the planning stages, when she was thinking about both the typewriter and the possibility of being with Livvie, Rae never once imagined both would be dominating their time in the cabin.

Walking down the hallway towards her room, she wondered if Liv was waiting for her in there, or in her own room. Quietly opening the door to her own room, she saw Liv’s sleeping shape tucked deep within the comforter.

Discarding all her clothes, Rae slipped beneath the blankets and pressed herself against Liv’s back. Rae gently nuzzled the back of her neck with her nose and left a whisper of a kiss near her ear. Liv stirred slightly but didn’t open her eyes. Rae could tell she was firmly asleep, and as badly as she had wanted to finish what they had started earlier, Rae was content with just laying next to her.

As she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, she couldn’t help but replay Vaughn’s words repeatedly in her head. The ones that her grandmother first uttered years before, and now were said again that day. Meg’s expression of gratitude and desperation also sat firmly in her eyes as she willed sleep to come.

Had she made the right decision letting them harness the magic to change their lives? Would they, or she, suffer the unknown consequences of their choices? No answers would come to these questions at that moment, and Rae did her best to push them away from her mind.

Feeling Liv’s body so close to her own, filled her with a serenity that she desperately needed. Rae though back to Meg’s earlier question, and she knew how she should have answered. Sitting up on one elbow, she brushed Liv’s hair from her neck and bent down towards the sleeping woman’s ear. 

“I love you,” Rae whispered and left a soft kiss beneath her earlobe before settling back down to the pillow and nuzzling into her back.

“Love you,” Liv mumbled sleepily as her hand gripped the one Rae had absently draped along her side and wrapped it up tight beneath her breasts, “… love you for life.”

Liv drifted off back into her slumber, and Raelyn fell asleep quickly after. For Rae, it was one of the last peaceful night’s sleep she’d have for a long time to come.


End file.
